tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28244953436809592142024-03-05T04:20:44.493-08:00Trishe's DishesYet another food blog, with baking and cooking recipes, and food commentary.Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-73305505258129364412013-02-03T13:03:00.001-08:002013-02-03T13:04:16.237-08:00Super Bowlgo 49'ers! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEb0DJqBeAudUlPxpHZkmhFumebGNG1rl9jvKYSDlNrCvRdcPFmZpn1lkDdl18DVrUp7ys64JdohoPOEkIKsYUO_Zx_4P4TswKFtd4_e_pjdJqKdbaKdMKL_MJS3a_ACIsLEfbgxDcwE/s640/blogger-image-216617251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEb0DJqBeAudUlPxpHZkmhFumebGNG1rl9jvKYSDlNrCvRdcPFmZpn1lkDdl18DVrUp7ys64JdohoPOEkIKsYUO_Zx_4P4TswKFtd4_e_pjdJqKdbaKdMKL_MJS3a_ACIsLEfbgxDcwE/s640/blogger-image-216617251.jpg" /></a></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-14613248239766493332012-07-30T10:28:00.000-07:002012-07-30T10:28:03.629-07:00It's hot, have a shake.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't know about you, but during the summer my appetite shifts dramatically. I want a lot of cold foods, and I have considerably less desire to chew things. I feel this way during the very manageable Portland summer, so I can't imagine the energy it takes to chew in the midwest, where they've been rocking the 100+ temps all summer long. So, to eat breakfast or lunch in the laziest possible fashion, I like to make a shake. The great thing about shakes is you can pretty much throw anything into a blender and it will taste good. Perhaps not meats, but fruits and vegetable-wise, I think yes. The breakfast shake I've been loving lately is my peanut butter and jelly with a glass of milk and a spinach salad shake. Yes. <br />
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Spinach makes a great and healthy additive to shakes - it's very mild,
almost sweet, and it melds with anything else you mix with it. I have a hand blender but a regular blender works just as well. Put a handful of spinach into your blending device, maybe about a cup. I don't measure these things, that would be entirely too much work and defeat the purpose of lazy eating. Drop in five or six frozen strawberries. Add a cup of milk, I like 1%, but whatever you like will work. Squirt in maybe around a tablespoon of honey, or less. Sometimes I use agave syrup if I have it on hand - it's super sweet, so you need less than with honey. Add in a large dollop (non-measuring tablespoonful) of natural peanut butter. You could use non-natural, but it will be a sweeter end product with less texture, which I enjoy most about these shakes. Blend until combined.<br />
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Easy. Stick a straw in it. Don't be alarmed that the shake is the color of your grandma's curtains. Just enjoy.<br />
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Here's a variation I love too. I called it peanut butter and jelly with chocolate milk. About a cup of berries, any type, or mixed, which is what I generally use, go into the blender. A cup of milk follows. A healthy dollop of peanut butter, and a squirt of chocolate syrup. Slightly less healthy than the above shake, but amazingly delicious! This recipe would take the spinach as well.<br />
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Happy lazy eating. ~TTrishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-15229084135071615672012-07-16T11:12:00.001-07:002012-07-16T11:12:06.380-07:00Summer Stacked Beet Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So this recipe is an amalgam of three inspirational food moments - one, eating a marinated beet with horseradish cream salad at <a href="http://www.radioroompdx.com/menus/" target="_blank">Radio Room</a> in Portland; two, having a purslane and roasted beet salad at the incomparable <a href="http://www.chezpanisse.com/menus/cafe-menu/" target="_blank">Chez Panisse</a> cafe, where I was lucky enough to go with Alex and his parents last summer for our birthdays; and three, seeing a <a href="http://fifteenspatulas.com/2012/04/11/beet-and-goat-cheese-napoleons/" target="_blank">photograph</a> on the interwebs of roasted beet napoleons. I have been dreaming of creating this beet salad for some time - the farmer's market made the moment able to happen by making available purslane! I had never had it prior to my Chez Panisse visit - but it's an excellent green - apparently known as a weed through North America - it has a really extraordinary flavor - slightly spicy, lemony, sweet. It's wonderful. So, I purchased a box, along with beautiful golden and red beets, and locally made goat cheese in anticipation of this salad.<br />
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Here is what you need: fresh beets, golden and red; prepared horseradish; sour cream; goat cheese, freshly made if you can get it; a handful of herbs (I used tarragon and parsley); pistachios; purslane, or if you can't find it, watercress or other pretty, citrus-y, or peppery green. <br />
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The salad is slightly high maintenance, in that it has many component
parts, but I think they're all important to making it truly
exceptional, based on the flavors I've experienced in the salad
inspirations.<br />
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<br />So begin with the beets. I had seven total, medium in size, from two farmer's markets bunches. Roast them. I looked up how to do this in the <i>Joy of Cooking</i>, which hardly ever ceases to help me with basic kitchen tasks I've never tried before. Preheat the oven to 350, and cut the greens off your beets, so there is about one inch of greens left on the beet. Place them in a glass pan, I used an old casserole dish with a glass top that I have, it worked great. Add about a half cup of water. If you don't have a top, use foil. Roast them, depending on size, 45 minutes to an hour, until they can be easily pierced with a knife.<br />
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It should slide right into it, the only thing I can think that is a good reference is a potato you are planning to mash - soft like that. I checked mine at 45 minute then left them in the oven another five. I took them out, left the lid on, and continued to let them steam another ten minutes. They were tender and and lovely and fragrant and OH! Please change out of your nice clothes and into something you don't care much about - because look at that knife; beet juice stains - and you're about to have all kinds of beet juice all over you. So, I removed those beets to a plate to let them cool a bit.<br />
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While the beets were roasting, I got other component parts of the salad ready. I have a fairly substantial herb garden, and after consulting the internet for flavor pairings, I clipped a bit of parsley and some tarragon to chop and combine with my farmer's market goat cheese.<br />
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If you can't get to the farmer's market for goat cheese, they probably have it at your local upscale market, if nowhere else. Homemade is so good though, and worth seeking out. <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/boards" target="_blank">Chowhound</a> exists for a reason friends - but I digress.<br />
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So I chopped these herbs and stirred them together with maybe a half cup of the goat cheese. I wasn't really measuring anything on this - but I probably had about two tablespoons of chopped herbs to mix in. I left the cheese out to soften even more to make for easy spreading later.<br />
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I then made a horseradish dressing - probably the easiest part of this endeavor. I didn't measure, but I probably spooned about 1/4 cup sour cream into a bowl and added a heaping tablespoon of horseradish. Combine. Done!<br />
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Finally, I toasted the pistachios, which I shelled first. Get out a small pan, like you would use for cooking an egg by its lonesome. If you have a le creuset, use that so you can heat it while you're shelling the pistachios - otherwise just use a non-stick pan and heat it up once the pistachios are in the pan. Toast on about a four on an electric stove, and move them around frequently so they don't burn. To see if they are ready, I lean my head close to the nuts and use my hand to whiff the smell towards me - when they smell nutty and roasty, they're finished. This took about ten or fifteen minutes.<br />
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After they cool in a bowl for a few minutes, grind them in your nut grinder. And if you don't have one, you could chop them. But seriously, get a nut grinder - it is a great kitchen tool for a baker or cook.<br />
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After you finish these tasks, the beets should be about ready. Once they
are cool enough to touch, you can peel the beet skins right off. I
didn't drop them in ice cold water when hot, like you do when you blanch
a tomato, but was thinking that might make the skins pull away from the
beet and be even easier to remove - try it and let me know. So remove
all the skins and prepare to have very stained fingers while you work.
Don't worry though, that beautiful magenta washes right off with soap
and water. After this task is complete, you're ready for salad
assembly! <br />
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Cut the beets into about half in rounds. You'll probably have leftover
beets, which you can use later in a salad - which I will be doing
tomorrow! Yum! So, after you cut the beets, try to find two red and two
golden rounds that are nearly the same size. If you want these to be
exact rounds, get a small cookie cutter. <br />
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Take the bottom round, and spread with a little - maybe a spoonful, of the goat cheese mixture. Stack the different color beet round on top and spread it with the goat cheese mixture. Do this one more time, then top with one last round. Once you've made as many as you want (with this recipe I had enough for four salads), place each one on a salad plate.<br />
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Rinse and dry your purslane or other green, and place in a circle around the stacked beet.<br />
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Then spoon horseradish on the top of the salad, and around the salad in
little circles. Sprinkle the pistachios over the top. And you're done!<br />
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These are incredibly delicious. I thought they needed just a touch of sel gris to finish them off perfectly, Alex thought they were delicious without the salt, so maybe top the pistachios with a tiny sprinkle of salt if you find they need it. These are relatively simple to make, if time consuming, and will make a gorgeous salad for a summer dinner party. Hope you love this salad as much as I do.<br />
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~TTrishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-30441930141123746512012-06-13T22:32:00.002-07:002012-06-13T22:32:36.451-07:00Whipped this up in nothing flat... you should too.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nectarines, homemade brown sugar, cinnamon, a pat of butter a small scoop of ice cream. It tastes amazing, and I thought, I need to post this! Which explains the lonely picture of half eaten fruit goodness. Here it is, 10:15 and I've just returned from my summer class which meets until 9:30 ... I often need a sweet at this hour, and today I ran to a store on my way home to get Hood River strawberries, but they were sold out until tomorrow! Alas, I got home and remembered I had nectarines ripening in a paper bag on the counter. So this happened, literally ten minutes from idea to eating the deliciousness. You should make this promptly.<br />
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I pared the nectarines skin-on into a small skillet, then cut a small pat of butter, about half a tablespoon, and tucked it under them. Turned that on, let it melt and coat the fruit. Then sprinkled on the brown sugar (it doesn't have to be homemade, but it is extra delicious ... mix a tablespoon of molasses into a cup of sugar and see for yourself), and a little cinammon. Let that get hot and melty / sticky on medium heat. Put a small scoop of ice cream in a pasta bowl, and sprinkle a little more brown sugar on top of it. Let the nectarines get hot and coated with the sugar - five minutes tops - then pour everything in the skillet over the ice cream, and, well, see above. You won't be sorry, and if you are, I really don't know what to tell you. Nothing beats summer fruit. More fruits and sugar recipes to come soon. ~TTrishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-54674489775363691302012-05-23T22:22:00.000-07:002012-05-23T22:22:04.654-07:00This post brought to you by the color white, or Angel Food Cake from Scratch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, honest moment. I took these pictures over a year ago, before I moved in with Alex, with good intentions of posting about this amazing, incredible angel food cake. But, I got busy. I started law school. It got crazy. I've posted about twice in the past year. But I did make this angel food cake at least two times. And it was amazing as ever. With the coming bounty of berries in June, you should consider making this cake. It's light, airy, perfect for a hot day, with berries, and maybe mashed with ice cream. This recipe comes from a book I received as a gift years ago - <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-9781585423224-2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Book Club Cookbook</a>. It has this incredible Angel Food Cake recipe in it: called Mrs. Nesbitt's Angel Food Cake with Lemon Cream. I never make, or have made, the lemon cream. But the cake, oh my. I've never made another angel food cake again after discovering this recipe. It's incredible. It's more dense than the box angel food cakes, but in a good way. It is moist, sweet but not too sweet, and flavored with almond extract instead of vanilla. I think this is what makes this cake so incredible. It's amazing that just 1/2 teaspoon of anything can do that. Enjoy this. I know I do. <br />
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You will need a a 10 inch angel food cake pan (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Angel-Food-Pan-Inch/dp/B0000VMGTW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this is the one I have</a>), a big bowl, two other bowls, a hand or kitchenaid mixer, a sifter, a whisk, and a spatula. The other great thing about this cake is the relatively few ingredients, all white as can be. Go to the store and get a dozen (good, free range or something) eggs, sugar (fine or regular granulated works fine, I've made it both ways), cream of tartar, salt, almond extract (get the real stuff, not anything synthetic), and cake flour (NOT all-purpose). It comes in a red box. The only brand I have ever seen is Swans Down. <br />
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.<br />
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Do you know how to separate eggs? Probably yes, if you're
reading baking blogs. But let me share my method anyway. I use my hands,
which I think is the fastest way. I crack the egg and open it into one
cupped palm over the measure. I then let the white slip through my
fingers while moving it back and forth between my hands. It goes really
fast, and it prevents the yolk breakage you sometimes get when you use the
shell halves. As an aside, I think those egg separating tools are
entirely unnecessary to have in a kitchen. But whatever works for you. Give my method and whirl, see what you think.<br />
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You need a 1 and 1/4 cups egg whites. I use a 1 cup glass liquid measure and add egg whites until I get what looks like about a 1/4 cup over the 1 cup measure. Just eyeball it. It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. For me, this is usually 10-11 large eggs. Apparently I did not photograph that, so trust me. I did photograph the shell and yolk detritus though. I know it's a waste, but I usually just throw the yolks away. I know there are things I could do with them. Sigh. Pour the whites into a large bowl.<br />
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Next, sift your flour once, in your sifter. Measure 1 cup of cake flour from this sifted bowl and add it to another medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt (I use kosher, pulverized to make the grains smaller) to the flour, and combine with whisk. Set this aside for the moment. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Go back to the egg whites in the bowl. Get your mixer and beat the eggs on medium high speed until they are foamy.<br />
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Then add 1 and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar. Cream of tartar helps egg whites maintain their structure once they've been beaten. It's pretty cool - more about that <a href="http://bakingbites.com/2008/07/what-is-cream-of-tartar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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Get 1 cup of sugar ready. Turn your mixer back on and start beating the egg whites again. Slowly add the cup of sugar while continuing to beat the eggs. This is slightly easier if you have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, but I find I almost always prefer to use a hand mixer when I am mixing batters. I can feel the batter with the hand mixer, which is not possible with the stand mixer. But it is a little trickier. Maybe get a friend to pour the sugar for you if you're not particularly well-coordinated.<br />
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Beat the whites until they peak. Basically you want to be able to stop
the mixer, pull it out of the whites, and have the white create a peak. Then beat in the almond extract. You don't
want the egg whites to be overly stiff. It's just something you have to
get used to, if you haven't made a lot of egg white batters. The best I
can tell you is to try to emulate the photos - shiny, peaking batter is
what you want.<br />
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You're finished with the mixer at this point. Take the bowl of sifted flour / sugar / salt and sprinkle over the batter, about a half cup at a time (I just eyeball this, and separate into three pours), using the spatula to very gently folding in the flour to the whites after each addition. Be gentle, and work slowly. You are trying to avoid crushing the fluffy whites. Incorporate gently and don't worry if it isn't fully incorporated. After adding the last of the flour, gently fold it in and try to slowly incorporate all the dry into the whites, but with a light hand. This is where you could end up with an extremely dense cake if you overwork the batter.<br />
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You don't grease or butter angel food cakes, so no prep is necessary for the pan. Use the spatula to pour the batter into the angel food cake pan, again, trying not to crush it. Even it out, it will fill about half the pan.<br />
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Bake it about 30 minutes. Look for the top to be lightly browned, fairly soon after you start to smell it - that's when it is done. Check the photo for the color you're seeking.<br />
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Pull it out of the oven and invert it to cool. After about an hour, use a bread knife around the outside of the cake, on the outside and the inside core, to help it turn out of the pan. Put it on a plate, and serve it with those soon to be in season strawberries, and every other delicious berry. Hooray for summer! Hooray for delicious light cake! Hooray for a new post!<br />
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~ T<br />
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<br />Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-54434203915134657552012-02-23T00:35:00.000-08:002012-02-23T00:35:19.298-08:00My Mom's ham and beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm back! Yes, it's been some time, but forgive me, I've been studying the law, and that's rather time consuming. It's a rare day I get to cook or bake at all, let alone blog about it. I have so many posts ready to go with pictures, but at this point, I need to wait until summer to write most of the recipes. Because really, you're not going to be making an airy summer dessert like a pavlova in February. But you will be making something along the lines of my mom's ham and beans, and you'll be glad you're doing this, for quite a few reasons: it's warm, comforting food, almost like a stew; it has a total of four ingredients plus salt and pepper. No really.; it's adaptable; it's cheap. And when I say cheap, I mean it. We're talking at least eight big bowls of soup for a total of around $5. Now that's economical. Any of my law school colleagues reading this blog will surely agree this is the time for economizing. So, let's get to it.<br /><br />One of the many things I love about my mother is her delicious meals, mostly made without a recipe. I called her up and asked for her ham and beans recipe, which always hit the spot on a cold day when I was a kid. Here is what she said, and what I did. I love that there are no measurements here. My mom cooks almost exclusively this way, and everything she makes is amazing - just terrific Midwestern food. It's very impressive, and worth emulating.<br />
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You'll need to plan ahead on this; the beans need to soak overnight. You need: beans, a ham hock or ham bone or both, water, a stock pot, a large yellow onion, pepper, and possibly salt.<br />
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Go to the store and get your one pound bag of beans. I got great northern beans. You could also get navy beans. According to <a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_5839683_difference-navy-great-northern-beans_.html">my (not in-depth) research</a>, they're pretty much interchangeable, though navy beans are smaller and cook more slowly. Apparently, they hold their shape better than great northerns, which may give you more of a soup and less of a stew. Rinse the beans in a colander (mom pro-tip) to remove possible stones or other non-bean detritus. Put in a large stock pot and cover with a lot of water. Those beans are going to expand. Leave them to soak overnight.<br />
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<br />Wake up to seemingly more beans than you had the night before. Some people rinse the beans to remove the starch that has leached out from them, but I think that starch does your final product a favor, so decide what works best for you. <br />
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At this point you need your ham hock. They're kind of ugly, and it's probably best not to really think about what part of the pig you're throwing in the pot. These are smoked, and available at meat counters generally. I suggest getting yours from a good meat counter or a meat market, like my beloved Gartner's, which I have mentioned in the past. I got this one from New Seasons. The larger the hock, the more meat will end up in your beans, so purchase accordingly. You can also throw a ham bone in there, though there is less meat on a ham bone. I have used ham bones in soups in the past, and really like the flavor they impart. If I make these again some time soon, I will use a medium sized hock and a small bone. Pork it up, I say. Throw that in there with the beans.<br />
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Chop up your onion. Throw that in the pot. Get out your pepper grinder and grind a hearty amount of pepper into the pot as well. No salt yet, wait until you're done cooking, because the ham might impart enough, and no one wants overly salty ham and beans. Bring those beans to a boil.<br />
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Reduce the heat, anywhere between a 2 and 4, depending on your electric stove, or low for gas, and simmer for 3-4 hours. Hours. Yes, I did just write that. You're reading along thinking, this sounds great! I'm making this tomorrow! But that was before you knew what a commitment you were making to these beans. So yes, it's a weekend thing, maybe. It's worth it. The thing you must remember to do over this expanse of time is to stir those beans on a regular basis. Every half hour at the minimum. Make sure you are getting the beans off the bottom of the pot, because they will stick. When the beans are basically disinigrating and very soft, and the hock is falling apart, you're pretty much ready.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I know, this picture is kind of icky. </span></div>
With a fork, remove the ham hock to a plate, and use a couple forks to pull the (very soft, very tender, very tasty) meat from the hock and return it to the pot. Stir again, taste, salt to taste if necessary. You're pretty much done, and now you have meals for days! Ham and beans freeze well, and this post reminds me that I need to freeze my leftovers promptly, because really, no two people can eat this many beans before they go bad. <br />
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Alex and I were discussing the dish as we were having it for dinner last night, and noting that smoked sausage could be a fine addition to this meal (I'd add it maybe halfway through cooking), or possibly some fresh herbs. I liked thyme with it. Rosemary was a little strong. <br />
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You know you want to spend a Sunday afternoon stirring a pot of beans on the stove for hours on end, while scents of deliciousness waft through your home. In between stirs, call your own awesome mother. Now, get to it, and then, eat!<br />
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I'm glad to be back! I will try to get back to it, but forgive me, the reading and studying, it's epic.<br />
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--TTrishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-23001635023517328712011-09-05T17:58:00.000-07:002011-09-10T16:30:12.548-07:00CLB Punch : Drink this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
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First post from my new(ish at this point) house! Also first post while in law school! I hope not to completely abandon blogging ... I have a great pavlova recipe that I need to get out while peaches are still in season. But this post is about drinking, not eating! Onward!</div>
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So, based on a variety of gin concotions I have enjoyed at bars all over Portland, I came up with a refreshing summer punch that seems to be a hit with everyone who tries it, regardless of their gin proclivities. It seems to have appeal regardless of age or gender. I can say this having served it to men and women aged twentysomething to sixtysomething, including visiting parentals, all of whom make the comment, whoa, this is really good! A gorgeous greenish iced punch, it is named for three of the main ingredients, cucumbers, lime and basil.</div>
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This punch sneaks up on you. Prepare yourself with snacks. </div>
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You can make this glass by the glass or in quantity. I have never made more than 4 glasses worth at a time, because that would be a muddling nightmare. But don't let my fears stop you! </div>
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Get yourself these items:</div>
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Enough limes to squeeze 1/4 cup juice into each glass. If you don't have a juicer yet, stop by your local grocery store and buy one for $5 or less, your hands will thank you.</div>
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A fresh bunch of basil, from the farmer's market, your garden, or the store. Pro-tip: store basil in a glass of water, do not refrigerate. It shrivels quickly.</div>
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Cucumbers. One large cucumber will make two batches of 4 glasses each. Summer is the time of year for giant cucumbers, so if you're just making this for one or two, one will probably be fine.</div>
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Gin. You need a gin that has an affinity to cucumbers. That gin is not Gordon's or Beefeater. That gin is Aviation (Portland local) or Hendrick's. Really, your tastebuds will thank you. There is a lot of thanking yourself going on in this post today, no?</div>
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You also need sugar, soda water, ice, pint glasses, and the very important muddler, which you can get at any kitchen store I'm sure.</div>
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In the pictures here, I'm making enough for four pint glasses, which, if math troubles you, equals 1 c of lime juice, 12 1/2 inch quartered cucumber rounds, 24-40 basil leaves, and about 12 Tablespoons (that's about 3/4 cup) of sugar. The directions, trickily enough, are for one glass at a time. I hope you can make these directions work for your needs:</div>
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Begin by juicing your limes and cutting your cucumbers into half inch rounds that you then quarter. Two or three quartered rounds are appropriate for each glass.Drop them in the glass (or bowl, if you're making in quantity)</div>
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Next, tear off some basil leaves, and drop about 6-10 leaves, depending
on size, in each pint glass. Pour some sugar on top of this. Use regular granulated sugar, because it's more abrasive on the basil and cucumber.
If you need a measure, I'd say start with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. </div>
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You can always add more later if it's too tangy. So anyway, muddle your little heart out, crushing the basil, cucumbers, and sugar together.</div>
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Once you've sufficiently pulverized these together, pour over your 1/4 cup of lime juice (or cup if in quantity).</div>
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Stir. Taste to see if it's too tart. Add in about an ounce and a half of gin, more or less to taste. Stir.</div>
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Fill your glass with ice to the top, then top off with soda water, I call this fuzzy water. Add a straw, give it a swirl, and drink up. Your sweaty summer self will thank you. Drink soon, fall approaches. </div>
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PS: Got a better name for this drink? Help me name it! There's a treat in there for you if I choose your suggestion, I just haven't decided what yet :) --T</div>
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Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-59833546377770023952011-06-21T15:34:00.000-07:002011-06-21T15:35:51.161-07:00Strawberry Cupcakes with the *BEST* Rhubarb Buttercream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlF1rZ_9T_y7MfIL7FMoCCcQZilVBkOlkQMKUJDU64YzBoexJ1zhBXIPRH0ZxeD8JMuO8MhkbvZt4KDrwpOoOHm__CC8S-Pg4PnsMEmPQLOPDmTRjlL0HnYFRM-MY0dZ_5SeUfqHY3VT4/s1600/DSCN8424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlF1rZ_9T_y7MfIL7FMoCCcQZilVBkOlkQMKUJDU64YzBoexJ1zhBXIPRH0ZxeD8JMuO8MhkbvZt4KDrwpOoOHm__CC8S-Pg4PnsMEmPQLOPDmTRjlL0HnYFRM-MY0dZ_5SeUfqHY3VT4/s320/DSCN8424.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What is it about sitting at a desk that encourages one to work, to write? I don't know, but I am sitting here at my desk at home, knowing that it is the only way I will get this recipe out to you, and if I did not get this recipe out to you before strawberry and rhubarb season ended, it would be a travesty. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, as it happens, it's rather difficult to find a recipe for rhubarb buttercream. In fact, I could not, and had to create my own, but what's great about that is now it exists! And you, dear readers, can create it too. I was at the farmer's market in downtown PDX a few weeks ago, and had a shortbread cookie from Two Tarts Bakery (one of the few in this town that I think consistently turns out great cookies) and it was filled with a rhubarb buttercream - though that was closer in consistency to an Oreo cookie's filling. This deliciousness, tart and sweet, was the inspiration for the buttercream. I purchased the first strawberries of the Oregon season, some local rhubarb, and thought, Strawberry Rhubarb cupcakes it must be!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A long time friend and fellow baker, Nicole, gave me <i>Martha Stewart's Cupcakes </i>for a birthday a couple years ago. In there is a fabulous recipe for strawberry cupcakes, but it makes a ton. Well, if a ton was 30+ cupcakes. I did not need this kind of cupcake craziness, so I made a half batch, which ended up being 16 cupcakes. I will share my proportions below so you don't have to do the math yourself. I did nothing different than the recipe, and they were delicious. However, the icing, as mentioned above, was an entirely different story. So let's start with cake, then move forward, shall we?</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You need: either three 6 cup or 1 12 cup and 1 6 cup (what I use) muffin tins. I don't like doing cupcakes in batches if I can avoid it, but if you only have one 6 cupper, as I assume is the case for many people, you can do this in batches, just keep your batter covered in between (damp dish towels are great for retaining moisture in a case like this), and in a cooler, sun-free (not the fridge) place. You need muffin cups too. I just stocked up on some from Cost Plus, very cute, with stripes and bright colors, which blow those pastel numbers from the grocery store out of the proverbial muffin liner water.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recipe for 16 or so cupcakes </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Preheat that oven to 350F. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chop up your strawberries. 1 cup finely chopped. I used the food processor, because it makes a 15 minute job a 10 second job. Love that. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sift your flours before measuring. Then sift them with your dries into a bowl:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 and 1/4 cup (c from here on out) all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons (T from here on out)</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 c cake flour</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 T baking powder. You may protest that there is no such measure. I just wing this. A pinch difference in baking powder will be okay! Just fill your tablespoon measure halfway! Have faith in your eyeballing!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 t salt (see that little t? that's for teaspoon) - I ground kosher salt very fine and used that. table salt works too, but you want a fine grain for cake. Pro tip, people. Learned it from a chef instructor, sharing it with you.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Set this aside and get out another bowl. These things I decide to bake always seem to use a ridiculous number of bowls and utensils. I am moving in two weeks to a house with a dishwasher, and I am pretty excited. It may lead to excessive baking. Instead of being the new neighbor who people bring pies to, I will be the new neighbor who brings everyone pies. And then, they will love me. But I digress. This is what happens when I try to write a recipe while hopped up on bubble tea. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpq_AvW0_iQDG6pJsYvCBPLwmm8H_mGciAvpe2amItuIKl-YIejQysf6sBHjDBodD1SzF6z_tGI1sKHt3Lz9JaQeMmguoE0ZbzDOj5ns1ugQrmEip-mNj48ix-Cxi7M5VwpmVruFmkw9w/s1600/DSCN8393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpq_AvW0_iQDG6pJsYvCBPLwmm8H_mGciAvpe2amItuIKl-YIejQysf6sBHjDBodD1SzF6z_tGI1sKHt3Lz9JaQeMmguoE0ZbzDOj5ns1ugQrmEip-mNj48ix-Cxi7M5VwpmVruFmkw9w/s200/DSCN8393.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJn8ljgJjjmSR3XMS3lIO3cS7TMDxmkyy7AhLjdiEY4Cg2lHeE5mG7q1xItF-ZLvihimd9o6dS0ux3T6e9_qw6NONPd07Mtfi-lD2dhsMmWjAoQ3_2njjQI7Mk885z7HOWsnC6OAkXpc/s1600/DSCN8395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJn8ljgJjjmSR3XMS3lIO3cS7TMDxmkyy7AhLjdiEY4Cg2lHeE5mG7q1xItF-ZLvihimd9o6dS0ux3T6e9_qw6NONPd07Mtfi-lD2dhsMmWjAoQ3_2njjQI7Mk885z7HOWsnC6OAkXpc/s200/DSCN8395.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cream together 1 stick room temperature unsalted (important, my friends) butter, 1c + 2T sugar (fine granulated works great in cakes) and 3/4t vanilla extract. I used the rum one from my homemade collection. Get this light and fluffy. The lighter and fluffier the better. You're aerating it, which makes for light cake! </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okay, here's where dividing the measure gets a tad more complicated. You may want to have this at the ready before you cream together the above. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissoKJBoHBB_1S_N4FBDAnlJsOFWZGKNddF8soy2r9h7uUbLFIeiJvzTlGCWWDIXcwwbrOfv8JYHwFG3O23uFd0sDYAnVY8CULQt6RvkP-KNX8xMuJ9XqLWYCVSCUPtPcQszy07K2ipu4/s1600/DSCN8397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissoKJBoHBB_1S_N4FBDAnlJsOFWZGKNddF8soy2r9h7uUbLFIeiJvzTlGCWWDIXcwwbrOfv8JYHwFG3O23uFd0sDYAnVY8CULQt6RvkP-KNX8xMuJ9XqLWYCVSCUPtPcQszy07K2ipu4/s200/DSCN8397.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0e0MG_23DapXl4lWqUBfx1ekSiNf6VlVF-yEZyJgUBkMFHzfmJZ2xrJu4JsLb73dqzsD1C28eFuGREdC15xsaFmE9vVAEQT8FSwpwU2YBJuYMkc056qTr27qhAvlSNSpHq8O_QDqkUE/s1600/DSCN8398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0e0MG_23DapXl4lWqUBfx1ekSiNf6VlVF-yEZyJgUBkMFHzfmJZ2xrJu4JsLb73dqzsD1C28eFuGREdC15xsaFmE9vVAEQT8FSwpwU2YBJuYMkc056qTr27qhAvlSNSpHq8O_QDqkUE/s200/DSCN8398.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eggs. Room temperature eggs. Really, always do this. Run them under lukewarm water for a while if you have too. The people who eat your cakes will thank you. Dividing the recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 eggs, and 1/2 an egg white. How do you do this? Well, I will tell you. A large egg has about 4 T of stuff in it (stuff being yolk and white, of course). So, you crack one egg open, give it a twirl with a fork, then measure out two tablespoons of stuff. Voila, half an egg! So, math friends, that means 1 T egg white. Woo hoo. Enjoy that. So, after you've made that happen, add the one whole egg first, combine, then add the 1/2 egg + 1/2 egg white, and combine. Make sure everything on the sides of the bowl is incorporated into the mix. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLaJfjdi5d7gslP7nH9trY6FZLbdxk1usuaGmZV9KvY0f8tpjaGSPH9Dbr5uBbWdWEpGqcYpdSel60nJTL9HE4wco9vGL55uppD2r_EYZ0lsIvNPk7xDjyeeR5tP7kaYlC2BoHr_xUhU/s1600/DSCN8400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLaJfjdi5d7gslP7nH9trY6FZLbdxk1usuaGmZV9KvY0f8tpjaGSPH9Dbr5uBbWdWEpGqcYpdSel60nJTL9HE4wco9vGL55uppD2r_EYZ0lsIvNPk7xDjyeeR5tP7kaYlC2BoHr_xUhU/s200/DSCN8400.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO8Md5lMrHXl2OLKWhfWWIhhroXI3g6tPNMK9aw8t_8x9Dg_0I82lk2WF3NhJqYwtDnQHrS-s9sMZKLHXAWPM3fN-JQRvNxJD5doR8JANTE9_kBUXOyfuPQnTHNnpGFwleodOdL15ev0/s1600/DSCN8403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO8Md5lMrHXl2OLKWhfWWIhhroXI3g6tPNMK9aw8t_8x9Dg_0I82lk2WF3NhJqYwtDnQHrS-s9sMZKLHXAWPM3fN-JQRvNxJD5doR8JANTE9_kBUXOyfuPQnTHNnpGFwleodOdL15ev0/s200/DSCN8403.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXOJ0uoTeqloBpUieW3zqHLAPZ26RVbFA-Cvt_xR-L-cPBSPP6irkd2xrXf5DrZYiR_fwSe-L6l0AiArpjp08DoRS4ZnwqxWbz7odP2663_1u8wAwIfUd3dWZJBYAkNJ9UleOkiUSs7w/s1600/DSCN8404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXOJ0uoTeqloBpUieW3zqHLAPZ26RVbFA-Cvt_xR-L-cPBSPP6irkd2xrXf5DrZYiR_fwSe-L6l0AiArpjp08DoRS4ZnwqxWbz7odP2663_1u8wAwIfUd3dWZJBYAkNJ9UleOkiUSs7w/s200/DSCN8404.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next! Another slightly complicated maneuver, adding flour mix and milk, alternating. Measure 1/2 c milk, room temperature (I just microwave it for 10 seconds to make this happen). You have that bowl of flour, so, while mixing, add in half the flour on low speed, then half the milk, then the rest of the flour, and the rest of the milk, until everything is combined. If it doesn't look like cake batter, keep combining, but on low speed please.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEWJvfamaisIcAw5uakCatP4FX3YCkVoehLsWvIyMwJ1VyxhJ-RzfnQGxjL0egLG6QhWUd5nYs42n0lOqtLctV719WtGhzPsdR3G2r39VRNftGpp6RmXLSlmak2jzWlETZvZo7bZOEMg/s1600/DSCN8402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEWJvfamaisIcAw5uakCatP4FX3YCkVoehLsWvIyMwJ1VyxhJ-RzfnQGxjL0egLG6QhWUd5nYs42n0lOqtLctV719WtGhzPsdR3G2r39VRNftGpp6RmXLSlmak2jzWlETZvZo7bZOEMg/s200/DSCN8402.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finally, fold in that cup of strawberries. I have no picture of this. I do not know why. Do this by hand please, with your spatula.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fill muffin cups slightly more than halfway and bake! I always shoot for the low side of the recommended time first, to ensure I don't over bake. Try 25 minutes. I think I took mine out at 27, and they looked still the slightest bit damp in the very centers, but they were fine. Use a toothpick to test one if you lack confidence in the doneness arena.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okay, so the cupcakes are made! Woo hoo! But alas, you've only just begun! For the real bear here is that amazing rhubarb buttercream. It isn't easy, but it is SO worth the work. So next up:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t5jijNzUVKQkd2NjpP7TB3WfujYBdcyFgGQolVIzilMGFNoxu9cjVN0rL7DXpXu5hZC4BPeIQORqc3NO9DJRs35j4WwFXd3s7Q0IYDRbHJMZSBFait8uratu_gIkPmz7daIr1Y3t770/s1600/DSCN8371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t5jijNzUVKQkd2NjpP7TB3WfujYBdcyFgGQolVIzilMGFNoxu9cjVN0rL7DXpXu5hZC4BPeIQORqc3NO9DJRs35j4WwFXd3s7Q0IYDRbHJMZSBFait8uratu_gIkPmz7daIr1Y3t770/s200/DSCN8371.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> First, you need to roast your rhubarb. Cut it one pound of it into one or so inch chunks, spread it on a pammed baking sheet (I have a piece of silpat, but I senselessly did not use it here. If you do, you should), and lightly sprinkle with sugar (about 1/3 c). This will impact the overall tartness of your buttercream, so keep that in mind as you are sugaring it. Roast at 350 for 25 minutes until it's soft. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanpqitWb9Se-AyaMKn_HK0XRO5OxmXMW9ELzzRxO_YqmMb5-D6vbYOZNUdraRbxomapCZSdWz4Qq1lkfucthaocaYvBLCqEYL9QumJBba9D4nr8Y3FSBAU5nFv5M-ZsWmRAsIwFk5T9g/s1600/DSCN8372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjanpqitWb9Se-AyaMKn_HK0XRO5OxmXMW9ELzzRxO_YqmMb5-D6vbYOZNUdraRbxomapCZSdWz4Qq1lkfucthaocaYvBLCqEYL9QumJBba9D4nr8Y3FSBAU5nFv5M-ZsWmRAsIwFk5T9g/s200/DSCN8372.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When it comes out of the oven, let it cool just a bit, then puree it in your blender. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmiBCWa8ySA1OsCelCWekACxIOAZ1mC13QcQeLp-bpcdZdAjmFUltuO9Flie23Iin8u_C9TE6xtFzvcyxQUfJA_OT6T0TweJV_is7Pbm07mfUaycrzte09980Gf9P8jx_kAcM07T4Kc8/s1600/DSCN8373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmiBCWa8ySA1OsCelCWekACxIOAZ1mC13QcQeLp-bpcdZdAjmFUltuO9Flie23Iin8u_C9TE6xtFzvcyxQUfJA_OT6T0TweJV_is7Pbm07mfUaycrzte09980Gf9P8jx_kAcM07T4Kc8/s200/DSCN8373.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGNZ_0xn_z4sBxKxalNNr3CKX2UoKIIwI0QUR2raX_eb7Q3DP8uLC6dlANghj5qa-_BY80RzFELzy_wOe2GbPRo8yUBfH2GEhQShSaHb9-Zjx9ir18q7iw_orjKgPQY4tMitVaH3HXvk/s1600/DSCN8374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGNZ_0xn_z4sBxKxalNNr3CKX2UoKIIwI0QUR2raX_eb7Q3DP8uLC6dlANghj5qa-_BY80RzFELzy_wOe2GbPRo8yUBfH2GEhQShSaHb9-Zjx9ir18q7iw_orjKgPQY4tMitVaH3HXvk/s200/DSCN8374.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is where it gets fun, and by fun, I mean tedious. You have to sieve the puree to make it smooth. You may need a friend's help, I certainly did. Pour the puree into a small holed metal colander (the ones that look like a screen door in a bowl shape), and press it through into a bowl. I used a rubber spatula to help this process along. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Tkil2_5HyXdeHGXo8CE0La5pLdpohYbHGoq-OgfogETk-lL-yLp1ckgz4LkektLsCNV2JXw_kspzwRuqU2P22D7AZ1QN38qI1urf3EcyjBbVUopelM8iOZELudpfzswqWZH18zYd4dk/s1600/DSCN8378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Tkil2_5HyXdeHGXo8CE0La5pLdpohYbHGoq-OgfogETk-lL-yLp1ckgz4LkektLsCNV2JXw_kspzwRuqU2P22D7AZ1QN38qI1urf3EcyjBbVUopelM8iOZELudpfzswqWZH18zYd4dk/s200/DSCN8378.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxJZL5hRf_xc-TiDjOn9X68ZkvOtC6a_XvpW0UA9gUWfyB1Ah66sWks9K0n2s9ZdIcj8ocpoG6K2DCZ9mr04SlaSRf3saz6vQHPq3a1dZpr3L7oCnRmiv7NmQYVLKmFomdOU6QhyphenhyphenOvKE/s1600/DSCN8383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxJZL5hRf_xc-TiDjOn9X68ZkvOtC6a_XvpW0UA9gUWfyB1Ah66sWks9K0n2s9ZdIcj8ocpoG6K2DCZ9mr04SlaSRf3saz6vQHPq3a1dZpr3L7oCnRmiv7NmQYVLKmFomdOU6QhyphenhyphenOvKE/s200/DSCN8383.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It wants to stay adhered to the outside of the metal, so your friend can use a second spatula to coax it into the bowl. After all this ridicuous work, you'll have about a 1/2 c. rhubarb puree (f you're making a whole batch of cupcakes, instead of a half batch, I'd double this). Good times, good times. Set that aside for the moment. You will be tired. You may want to rest, because this icing isn't exactly a cakewalk either.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You might be wondering how I got this idea for adding rhubarb puree into icing. Well, I was reading the awesome <i>Cake Bible</i> for my icing recipe, and it provides advice on how to make strawberry icing. I figured that if I just made a puree and used that in place of the strawberry measure, it would do the same thing. I was right. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okay so the icing. This is an adaptation of the <i>Cake Bible</i>'s classic buttercream on p 228. It is without a doubt the best icing I've ever made. I'm not kidding. I will be making it again. And again. And again. So, you're going to need a candy thermometer to be able to make this icing, because it involves boiling sugar water to a specific point. You will also definitely need either a friend holding your mixer, or a KitchenAid Mixer. The latter will make this icing truly magnificent, so you know, get started on your Christmas list. Again, I reduced this to make half the recipe. The whole recipe will ice an entire cake. Pam or butter a heatproof pyrex cup measure, keep it near the stove. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Beat three egg yolks in the mixer until they are light. Only the yolks. Surely we've discussed separating eggs before, but if not, just to let you know, I do this with my hands. Just open the cracked egg into your hand and let the egg white slip through your fingers, and be really careful when you pull that little white thing that's on some eggs off, because your yolks may suddenly spill out too. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA4C4JJPLDn7FBWJQvXpYZrsMzO1pec2j7Y_rkAAQECPlp35uAojZe3GLo2l2x1H9qBVbzB5f5Q680BhjdbypQn5o-f8hbCmUlUg-W4l_YaTcVDxKJpoQy2YQzvkHqF6yLjECjzQ_Ycc/s1600/DSCN8408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA4C4JJPLDn7FBWJQvXpYZrsMzO1pec2j7Y_rkAAQECPlp35uAojZe3GLo2l2x1H9qBVbzB5f5Q680BhjdbypQn5o-f8hbCmUlUg-W4l_YaTcVDxKJpoQy2YQzvkHqF6yLjECjzQ_Ycc/s200/DSCN8408.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In a very small saucepan, combine 1/2 c sugar and 1/4 c water, mix until it dissolves, then bring to a boil while constantly stirring. Stop stirring when it boils, and put the candy thermometer in there until it reads 238F. This is kind of challenging, because you want the temperature of the syrup, not the pan. I have to tilt it to do this. Be careful though, sugar burns are the worst. When that thermometer reads 238, pour the syrup in that waiting measure. Pour a little syrup over the yolks, turn on the mixer, and beat for a few seconds (this is kind of a quick temper). Stop the mixer, add a little more syrup, repeat. Do this a few times until you've poured out all the syrup, using a spatula to get the rest out on the last addition. Be forewarned: I didn't grease my measuring cup, and my syrup starting sticking as it was becoming candy during this process. Then keep beating the sugar egg mixture until it is cool. This is why you're glad you have the KitchenAid. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beat in 2 sticks (!!) unsalted room temp butter, add in chunks. Then finally, add in your puree. The reduction would suggest I only add in 1/4 c, but I had just under 1/2 c, and I was loving the color and flavor it was imparting, so I added it all. I tasted it, and it was magnificently tangy! Maybe too tangy. Puckering over icing, not so much. So, I added in a little powdered sugar, and finally added about 1 cup. Now this, this, was magnificent icing. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnQ8MHnqQ05dTYOA9dJnbq98cWcpjaU-UUpAbr4NXlECQVlrfToRjaReGUgTj4_DCJDMF_1TrL3YkclskKtLc6RTUkin_18g2kEJQG1hrUfDztuqij-l6AZezJIYfMXsQjP0RL8hWKW4/s1600/DSCN8419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnQ8MHnqQ05dTYOA9dJnbq98cWcpjaU-UUpAbr4NXlECQVlrfToRjaReGUgTj4_DCJDMF_1TrL3YkclskKtLc6RTUkin_18g2kEJQG1hrUfDztuqij-l6AZezJIYfMXsQjP0RL8hWKW4/s200/DSCN8419.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEoizz0hWsiNIlAkpijdAxaDgi_5QcjJZSJ1tGv2JjBaR01ytK3pcJDPaObSC1w39QvFrQrBxlw0dOD6DzbFdmm0uyHIvtpIr87y6HdcxiMibtPx7SBasbxmh6lQI03EFQuB2j4Nmefs/s1600/DSCN8421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEoizz0hWsiNIlAkpijdAxaDgi_5QcjJZSJ1tGv2JjBaR01ytK3pcJDPaObSC1w39QvFrQrBxlw0dOD6DzbFdmm0uyHIvtpIr87y6HdcxiMibtPx7SBasbxmh6lQI03EFQuB2j4Nmefs/s200/DSCN8421.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I think next time I make this (tomorrow, as I am making icing to teach a special small friend how to decorate cakes on Thursday) I will add in some vanilla, and also play some more with the powdered sugar and see what I can make happen. So really, that's it! These were truly awesome cupcakes. Definitely try this early summer treat, you'll thank yourself for all that effort, and maybe your true love will do the last batch of dishes, as mine did. --T</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-59324714051927064332011-06-12T20:35:00.000-07:002011-06-12T20:35:11.673-07:00I made vanilla<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJeAYB5tPhIKPEnC4fYyWkOkCE641qyL2o7QiVtMBRZ2EZp6y8Nx8v-5Y_5KfJbfk06gIka2ZP1OHpgz-Xs4ZtdacYAlbnIQXDcCtZIb7YG8L0HnYas0_qvOii3i1hANL_X3d3fjKSnU/s1600/5826787913_684df07986_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJeAYB5tPhIKPEnC4fYyWkOkCE641qyL2o7QiVtMBRZ2EZp6y8Nx8v-5Y_5KfJbfk06gIka2ZP1OHpgz-Xs4ZtdacYAlbnIQXDcCtZIb7YG8L0HnYas0_qvOii3i1hANL_X3d3fjKSnU/s400/5826787913_684df07986_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And you can too. There is no shortage of posts on the interwebs about making vanilla, probably because it's so easy to do. But in case you've been under a rock and this is the first you've seen of homemade vanilla, I hope it inspires you to make your own. If nothing else, you'll have a pretty picture at the end of it all.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back in January I read some blogger's post about vanilla and thought, if her, why not me? My lovely friend Nicole had gifted me vanilla beans for my birthday the previous June, and I knew I needed to use these beans up in some way, though as I've recently read, they apparently have a very long shelf life, so long as they are kept in a dark cool place and they aren't left in conditions susceptible to mold production. The fridge, so I read, is one of those places. Mine were in fine condition if a little dried out, so I rehydrated them by microwaving in a damp cloth for about fifteen seconds. I just made this up, and later read that I could just put them in warm water to rehydrate. I would choose that process if doing this again, because it was difficult to split mine open. I had many different kinds of beans, so decided to make three different vanillas, using three different boozes. You can see above what I ended up with. I poured a cup of each booze (buy the swill!) into a mason jar and tucked in two of each bean into the jar, after slicing them open down one side of the bean, so the insides would permeate the alcohol, and vice versa. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The directions I read said to put in a dark cool place, shake every two weeks, and in two months I'd have vanilla. But in two months I had strong alcohol scented with vanilla. I put the lids back on, and tried again at three months. Still pretty alcohol-y. Finally, about five months in I tried again, and I think it was finally ready. I have used the rum vanilla in french toast batter, and the bourbon vanilla in cookie batter, right out of the mason jar. Yum I say, yum. It's pretty good stuff, and cheap as all get out to make, when you consider what you pay for an ounce or two at the store. I made 24ish ounces, enough for myself and gifts for friends, for about $20, considering mason jars and booze. My beans, of course, were free. My friend got them online I think, and I bet you could too. If you like those bottles you see above, I ordered them from <a href="http://www.specialtybottle.com/">Specialty Bottle</a> and they were lovely to do business with - they missed one dropper in the order and promptly mailed me another one, it arrived within two days. Getting the vanilla in the bottles was a bit of a chore, involving a tiny strainer and a turkey baster, with some spillage. I might suggest trying to find a large dropper for this, or alternately a tiny funnel.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Make your own vanilla, save yourself some money in the long run, and make more interesting types than what you can buy. Plan ahead. Hopefully you'll come across this post in the next month and you'll have gifts ready at Christmas! </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know this isn't a baking post, but it is baking related, right? Posts to follow, soon! I promise!</span></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-44117372016134492452011-06-05T21:46:00.000-07:002012-05-23T20:40:41.272-07:00Coming this month!So hello, I'm still here. I'm baking up a storm, and recording lots of it. I'm just not quite blogging it. But I plan to sit down soon and write some of these posts ... so, if you haven't removed me from your feed just yet, prepare yourself for such deliciousness as angel food cake (so much better from scratch than out of a box), my mom's strawberry bread, strawberry cupcakes with rhubarb buttercream (holy goodness, this stuff is amazing - I had to make up the recipe, and you'll be glad I did), tiramisu, and I think that may be it. I promise to get all of these blogged this month! Keep reading, you'll be glad you did! -TTrishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-52675151118090681632011-03-20T21:21:00.000-07:002011-03-20T21:21:44.598-07:00$10? For a piece of Cake? Well, maybe...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbmdAgl54Zo-qmUae8TXz2eLhVZvqlEzjiVsCf4v_p8rK7PRjZQWaPIQ5mVvxbYHK0c0XMRSp9er8SXaAplsbvkODguzmD2KgfpnbU6Kc7YlBdmnQ2mPvEGG605Ea8QX2xRZ2FZIpVww/s1600/DSCN7882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbmdAgl54Zo-qmUae8TXz2eLhVZvqlEzjiVsCf4v_p8rK7PRjZQWaPIQ5mVvxbYHK0c0XMRSp9er8SXaAplsbvkODguzmD2KgfpnbU6Kc7YlBdmnQ2mPvEGG605Ea8QX2xRZ2FZIpVww/s320/DSCN7882.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
My friend Charles tells me this cake should be worth $10 per cupcake - I don't know how that translates to slices. Anyway, that's what he says, but I don't know. I do know, it's some unbelievably delicious cake. Last year for St. Patrick's Day, I made <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/">Smitten Kitchen's car bomb cupcakes</a>. Though the cupcakes are based on a drink created in the US, there was a significant discussion in her comments regarding the name's cultural insensitivity. Deb changed the name to Chocolate whiskey & beer cupcakes, which I think was nice of her. I won't use the insensitive term, but find the rename to be a little uneventful. Since this version is adapted to make cake and uses a different ganache recipe, I'll call this Guinness, Jameson, & Bailey's Cake. To Ireland, and all the deliciousness produced there thus enabling this recipe to exist - I salute you. And this cake. I definitely salute this cake. Amazing. Happy belated St. Patrick's Day, the day for a cake like this.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Guinness, Jameson, & Bailey's Cake. Adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You should know, this cake is not for the faint of heart, either in taste, or in preparation. This cake is a two day ordeal to put together, or a long, long one day ordeal. It takes a lot of time, so be ready to spend some time in the kitchen. When I was finishing the cake on St. Patrick's Day after work, I was in a crabby mood, and I was having some challenges with flying bits of chocolate & sugar. I had to regroup and remember that you can only bake with love, or your baked goods will turn out terrible. So I took deep breaths, and baked with love, and it turned out awesome. Remember this, it really does matter. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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I made this with two 8" rounds, and had enough for a baby cake too, so I'd say this recipe is perfect for two 9" rounds. Above, the fun of adapting.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Preheat that oven to 350 degrees. Pam or butter your 9" rounds, then lay a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. Why, you might ask? To prevent the cake from sticking for one, and to prevent it from burning or getting crispy on the bottom. I think parchment makes for beautiful cake bottoms myself. To make these, trace the bottom of the cake pan on the parchment, then cut out, and place in the bottom of the pan. Pam or butter the bottom & sides before you do this. I like Pam, it's quick and easy, and it works.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSjqXBRMBO782Xdv5rJkzaYpzzoyfpsKeLBN85LGabCopjjxO8QqZLPKw9j_G3NB_9OI8HzAVI-_as_F_Z8KM9-_NupSmThd63_HX6BXE6kl7VlNd79oESLF63r-fPPN8zU3HThmPXZw/s1600/DSCN7816.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSjqXBRMBO782Xdv5rJkzaYpzzoyfpsKeLBN85LGabCopjjxO8QqZLPKw9j_G3NB_9OI8HzAVI-_as_F_Z8KM9-_NupSmThd63_HX6BXE6kl7VlNd79oESLF63r-fPPN8zU3HThmPXZw/s320/DSCN7816.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next make your cake. Here's your recipe: </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 and 1/3 cup Guinness. Allow the beer to defoam and fill to the top of the measuring cup. If you have a 12 oz bottle of Guinness, as I did, you end up with about 2 oz left in the bottle, maybe slightly less. <br />
<br />
Hey, did you know that all cake ingredients should, as a rule, be at room temp? I suggest it for this cake too. To bring your very cold eggs down to room temp, run them under warm water for a bit. Works like a charm. Your sour cream can come out when you start combining ingredients to let it get a little warmer.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 and 1/3 cup butter (for that third stick, that's 5 and 1/3 Tbsp, but 1/3 cup is listed on the wrapper)</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 cup cocoa. I use Hershey's. You use whatever you want, and if you want to, buy some <a href="http://omanhene.3dcartstores.com/Natural-Cocoa-Powder_p_5.html">Omanhene</a>, which I truly believe is the best cocoa ever in the history of the world. No, really. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 and 1/3 cup sugar</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 tsp baking soda</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 tsp salt </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3 large eggs (size matters people. large.)</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 scant cup sour cream. Just use the entire 8 oz sour cream you get at the store. I use Daisy. I'm sure you could use reduced fat, but I'd suggest you don't, as the cake will have more richness with the full fat sour cream. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <br />
Cake prep: In a small pot on the stove, add the butter and Guinness and bring it to a simmer. Add in the cocoa powder, whisk in, and let cool a bit. You should know that this mixture looks a little funky, even after completely mixed. Never fear, it will come completely together later when you combine everything. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieucBr4CmmlrDBdV4h_1v8rJ47TULm5VpPzx5C_s4Z0dK7GOeYwlTFKh7JK-s_OSTJSdxNmczPs48Rd26fv9Qu4jYKsjkxeCT9lo3KtUg0VZg1MyQ4GZJU02t1IbTU0J2dA-JqBwEB2IU/s1600/DSCN7819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieucBr4CmmlrDBdV4h_1v8rJ47TULm5VpPzx5C_s4Z0dK7GOeYwlTFKh7JK-s_OSTJSdxNmczPs48Rd26fv9Qu4jYKsjkxeCT9lo3KtUg0VZg1MyQ4GZJU02t1IbTU0J2dA-JqBwEB2IU/s320/DSCN7819.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxU6shZbDwuTC0YmvHoKJq8TPWWbEOq30DDGHC3u9uxzVV3SOmzsYwU3-x7sI4nLSjBSeJv_734ISzkswa7ocHTTbIy4mY8WR31-saMB4gPG0cGx9rbtYVMTLsDv5StpanOYidpfBx1Io/s1600/DSCN7817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxU6shZbDwuTC0YmvHoKJq8TPWWbEOq30DDGHC3u9uxzVV3SOmzsYwU3-x7sI4nLSjBSeJv_734ISzkswa7ocHTTbIy4mY8WR31-saMB4gPG0cGx9rbtYVMTLsDv5StpanOYidpfBx1Io/s200/DSCN7817.jpg" width="84" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1v9wpCwYtKeJ8nUWLt3gZGNPZt_h1BzRTiUZV1TIGGPHZex1c4pVMF0RF2nT3JPBQzH9cHOcikU8qpydF0D8RS9kmaMQtD5nzFVkbvPQhkIll9C-krdGiylJFyV029vVMxa2nedMHyw/s1600/DSCN7820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1v9wpCwYtKeJ8nUWLt3gZGNPZt_h1BzRTiUZV1TIGGPHZex1c4pVMF0RF2nT3JPBQzH9cHOcikU8qpydF0D8RS9kmaMQtD5nzFVkbvPQhkIll9C-krdGiylJFyV029vVMxa2nedMHyw/s200/DSCN7820.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb0JoISTHMe75U9n-Z58CmmQjEYm-li2KyoFcNmd63KcS2ElXzDd9_CaI5BCMwo0_Na3nw_XJfemQkmcNaLq475yRKnvVXKDpdzBoosWHdPl5M_iDWlCHrMzgC3KTuFP1tV4kbXrx6gY/s1600/DSCN7825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb0JoISTHMe75U9n-Z58CmmQjEYm-li2KyoFcNmd63KcS2ElXzDd9_CaI5BCMwo0_Na3nw_XJfemQkmcNaLq475yRKnvVXKDpdzBoosWHdPl5M_iDWlCHrMzgC3KTuFP1tV4kbXrx6gY/s320/DSCN7825.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
While that's cooling, combine your dry ingredients and whisk together - flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar (sometimes a wet, in this case, a dry) in a small bowl. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYLAZvit2KX9vOzidHBfl1CQPLxx6sxMePsDESMHuQPsVjxmKkMZ7prsTzlH93xalFzUQKqah_apGNXQk-b5tfnjGG6Zlwq64loIFl4Ve0TSCvoMpWyjUFebofo-uZLVyEUOUg68Ht3c/s1600/DSCN7826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYLAZvit2KX9vOzidHBfl1CQPLxx6sxMePsDESMHuQPsVjxmKkMZ7prsTzlH93xalFzUQKqah_apGNXQk-b5tfnjGG6Zlwq64loIFl4Ve0TSCvoMpWyjUFebofo-uZLVyEUOUg68Ht3c/s320/DSCN7826.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In a large bowl, use an electric beater to bring the sour cream and eggs together. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaQ_RXML09nvHSI9QbpjeOxeVhrl5_LN6voRtuBkxN2-I-rzfJflgmhyphenhyphenNpaxZKKPEHaQQ856ZzlBWxqFrGHtpC9VKpiUE_nEosC7hcOPUgtuNikEPNP5pgxX-Q3wz6QpD_pcLKvFGngE/s1600/DSCN7827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaQ_RXML09nvHSI9QbpjeOxeVhrl5_LN6voRtuBkxN2-I-rzfJflgmhyphenhyphenNpaxZKKPEHaQQ856ZzlBWxqFrGHtpC9VKpiUE_nEosC7hcOPUgtuNikEPNP5pgxX-Q3wz6QpD_pcLKvFGngE/s320/DSCN7827.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Then add the beer chocolate butter mixture to this. If you're impatient like me, you're going to want to temper this mixture a bit with the chocolate beer mixture before adding it all, to prevent cooking the eggs. So that means, add about a spoonful of the chocolate beer mixture to the bowl with the egg / sour cream mixture, mix, then do that again, then again, then again. What you're doing is slowly raising the temperature of the batter, so you don't cook the eggs. After doing that a few times, add in the rest of the mixture and combine. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8u1Ep5i0RQPVjPnT_tgoB0drWhva0cZPOSh0kQ-pJ48FXCMjvOHb7l-oKbG8jekggoXPNfCVk9MsHPJoa0YuhLiMPEX4B512bXLYc1V6LxQAjkm63uheAgBX-Xje1pACXAzm6BxNvK4c/s1600/DSCN7828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8u1Ep5i0RQPVjPnT_tgoB0drWhva0cZPOSh0kQ-pJ48FXCMjvOHb7l-oKbG8jekggoXPNfCVk9MsHPJoa0YuhLiMPEX4B512bXLYc1V6LxQAjkm63uheAgBX-Xje1pACXAzm6BxNvK4c/s320/DSCN7828.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Then add in your flour mixture, while mixing. Get a friend (or Alex) to help. Just get that mixture to completely combine, but don't get too crazy and over mix.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtgxq9NQu9wIGJc8M4Bk_TsV1lF61L5UEhODr86Re9vibGvWEAIk3RxefGu4oTcwVQdfsDRFk9LL3DAeslfCoRZoBOQHp80V4HQNGIIDuH40XG5JDINaI-sKwLC0d7szwv2h5xtfC3_w/s1600/DSCN7836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtgxq9NQu9wIGJc8M4Bk_TsV1lF61L5UEhODr86Re9vibGvWEAIk3RxefGu4oTcwVQdfsDRFk9LL3DAeslfCoRZoBOQHp80V4HQNGIIDuH40XG5JDINaI-sKwLC0d7szwv2h5xtfC3_w/s320/DSCN7836.jpg" width="286" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFWVbxE0QM3gajSfR82GE3iXDoeXAauOheeBcBg9g7Gajh2jOSx7lCdYIZiAhRl2q4yJuAoTNSWoIH1YJSUe7KFiLkGAVurFU-KJKfuzvoZhxYVT2YrPlyMRKZXVKlA1nHpNO8xjPtA4/s1600/DSCN7839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFWVbxE0QM3gajSfR82GE3iXDoeXAauOheeBcBg9g7Gajh2jOSx7lCdYIZiAhRl2q4yJuAoTNSWoIH1YJSUe7KFiLkGAVurFU-KJKfuzvoZhxYVT2YrPlyMRKZXVKlA1nHpNO8xjPtA4/s320/DSCN7839.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <br />
Pour into your cake pans, rap on the counter a few times to help air bubbles escape and encourage a denser cake (a win in this situation, though not all) and bake about 32 minutes. This was the perfect time for 8" rounds, so you might need a little more time for 9" rounds. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eSw3t_KYkKvsQpjkDhmd0r3bIrb8RAnONVi-L8VfPkCcp1-DYeG5PLKE5EvRsLfZhcm3ctCoqclk1HLMm037a5XAqOPs628YkEXMKGtm3_AiD4zu5Vh0YcijYPcPjPXJgLHVaoeTg7A/s1600/DSCN7841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eSw3t_KYkKvsQpjkDhmd0r3bIrb8RAnONVi-L8VfPkCcp1-DYeG5PLKE5EvRsLfZhcm3ctCoqclk1HLMm037a5XAqOPs628YkEXMKGtm3_AiD4zu5Vh0YcijYPcPjPXJgLHVaoeTg7A/s320/DSCN7841.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EAo8rtfo-O4QBryJyvnNE21pUzNfcrh_52-4XDWvcPKP1CMbpy9DxnUt5lceLWvhAcGo1_qZPb46EEtHHV2eYPmvnHk8g7y1kdkszsF5rUvGi-ayy7WM4ToCwtr42g4YYgOwbbhpKXg/s1600/DSCN7842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EAo8rtfo-O4QBryJyvnNE21pUzNfcrh_52-4XDWvcPKP1CMbpy9DxnUt5lceLWvhAcGo1_qZPb46EEtHHV2eYPmvnHk8g7y1kdkszsF5rUvGi-ayy7WM4ToCwtr42g4YYgOwbbhpKXg/s320/DSCN7842.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> At 32 minutes, you should check your cakes with a cake tester, skewer, toothpick (I've used all of these), and if it comes out clean, they're done. I think that your nose tells you when cakes are done as well, but I think that may in part come with experience. Trust your tester over your nose, maybe. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHjGx8SYk7u4jHsitTg35WPhFxN5ZscAncY2bVCkheCx2ShB1Y6tjdhYfb3TpynUvcP364cxKuZdVQBD-h9-0EmV9Z6uR0zJk_JjyF0QzoTCkKL6pM5lzzSwtabF5I5kq-z3JLPMN5Uw/s1600/DSCN7844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHjGx8SYk7u4jHsitTg35WPhFxN5ZscAncY2bVCkheCx2ShB1Y6tjdhYfb3TpynUvcP364cxKuZdVQBD-h9-0EmV9Z6uR0zJk_JjyF0QzoTCkKL6pM5lzzSwtabF5I5kq-z3JLPMN5Uw/s320/DSCN7844.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
When your cakes come out, let them cool for ten minutes on a cooling rack, run a knife around the outside of the cake, flat side to the edge of the pan. Turn out with one hand on the top of the cake and the other hand with a pot holder holding the pan, which will be hot still. Peel off the parchment paper, turn right side up, and cool completely on the racks. After the cakes cool, if you're two daying it like I did, store them under a cake carrier separated by parchment paper. That's part one! And below, that's a piece from the baby cake I made. The cake makes an incredible chocolate cake in and of itself. So moist! It will probably be a new go to. I think it would make an extraordinary black forest cake, but that's another post...</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQLxUdeqDQoZbLnJJqhSzIYMrzp_ljXmT1pfL9MHitr52_ptUAVjTyCy0aDvfre00FXlutZKKAxrYaW-NJO910RyclusHtyZIpdKwZot-fj8bS9uOygTi6-egy6bBWESQQswwNxkGfsQ/s1600/DSCN7849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQLxUdeqDQoZbLnJJqhSzIYMrzp_ljXmT1pfL9MHitr52_ptUAVjTyCy0aDvfre00FXlutZKKAxrYaW-NJO910RyclusHtyZIpdKwZot-fj8bS9uOygTi6-egy6bBWESQQswwNxkGfsQ/s320/DSCN7849.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part two: We're making Jameson Whiskey Ganache!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWmV_I8L2pIi9Xa0ziC0cCZwr03kSPoHxlcVHeJKKI6jGxj48cBa7pCSBIFpSqKUaIqyGM8EOQkFET1cRb0LECDMuMq9EkfvLEGqD25EV98sSp353-xlhd2-sKl3ii8rBwHtNbAlo2TQ/s1600/DSCN7862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWmV_I8L2pIi9Xa0ziC0cCZwr03kSPoHxlcVHeJKKI6jGxj48cBa7pCSBIFpSqKUaIqyGM8EOQkFET1cRb0LECDMuMq9EkfvLEGqD25EV98sSp353-xlhd2-sKl3ii8rBwHtNbAlo2TQ/s320/DSCN7862.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I went with the <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780688044022-15">Cake Bible</a> ganache recipe for this, modified slightly to use Jameson. p 269 in my copy. Can I just say for two moments, the Cake Bible is awesome. Alex's mom gave it to me, and it is filled to the brim with awesome recipes and excellent explanations and techniques. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12 oz bittersweet chocolate. I use 3 of the 4 oz bars from Ghiradelli's at the grocery store. You could get fancier, if you want. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 and 2/3 cup heavy cream. Everyone I know and read is very anti ultra-pasteurized, so if you can find some that isn't, use that. Here in Portland, you can find it at New Seasons. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 c unsalted butter</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Jameson, lots. I started with two Tbsp, but that wasn't nearly enough. So I added in another two, and then a little more. The next day, when I was getting ready to fill the cake, I added a little more. I wanted to taste the whiskey, which is difficult over the chocolate. I think a heavy hand in this case is good. I'd say I probably used a 1/3 cup total, just to give you a figure. Buy a small bottle instead of the baby bottles.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4576RvK4AtyV47EI3vCChlapZMWA2xVVT-XIXnpIBMhsl6RcC2SYTEJK7JHIfdTZMif-WUtIZ19X3WZ1OfvfCscISpPve2npvfEVGcFfO7Y_cmJha7ZRrV9R_hg9aGNkEZrX9mRe_XO0/s1600/DSCN7854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4576RvK4AtyV47EI3vCChlapZMWA2xVVT-XIXnpIBMhsl6RcC2SYTEJK7JHIfdTZMif-WUtIZ19X3WZ1OfvfCscISpPve2npvfEVGcFfO7Y_cmJha7ZRrV9R_hg9aGNkEZrX9mRe_XO0/s320/DSCN7854.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Pulverize the chocolate, after breaking it into pieces, in your food processor (you can chop by hand if you don't have a food processor, but it's very tedious). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j89kS0dqaT7_MuQ-Gr54ieDUg78ARWs2fdRZbT1Px0W1XTInwlrEmMbm77g2tpQdWkADR_Ct_3IrqOMTR59MrDjjXhZeg7XCEt1yEoaJl9DORG-uG6nonQII8tpSQLy1kN2DhnMaMk0/s1600/DSCN7855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j89kS0dqaT7_MuQ-Gr54ieDUg78ARWs2fdRZbT1Px0W1XTInwlrEmMbm77g2tpQdWkADR_Ct_3IrqOMTR59MrDjjXhZeg7XCEt1yEoaJl9DORG-uG6nonQII8tpSQLy1kN2DhnMaMk0/s320/DSCN7855.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Heat the cream to the boiling point on the stove, about a 6 on electric stove. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlb8HU_GBn3Tfa94n6TbKKrqUqlLX4BwdIoIFvLlEFqzEDu-6kii8-Pbm1mTq38yyt7ajUROHx2BXXir0PXZpELAVU-0-WeQ7H5tw2BBOqIVSQaB332rtuYxoa_qq6xdj4kAcCnaquD8/s1600/DSCN7858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlb8HU_GBn3Tfa94n6TbKKrqUqlLX4BwdIoIFvLlEFqzEDu-6kii8-Pbm1mTq38yyt7ajUROHx2BXXir0PXZpELAVU-0-WeQ7H5tw2BBOqIVSQaB332rtuYxoa_qq6xdj4kAcCnaquD8/s320/DSCN7858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With the motor running on the food processor, add the cream in a stream to the chocolate. This will whip out of the top of the processor a bit, so prepare yourself. Keep processing a few seconds until smooth. Again, you could do all this over the stove, then use a whisk to combine, but it's going to take more time. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pour ganache into a bowl, let cool a bit, then whisk in the butter (room temp butter will make this much easier) and 4 Tbsp whiskey. Let cool completely. At this point for me it was late, so I let it cool enough that it wasn't sweating, then covered it and put in the fridge overnight. Then, I slept.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCcs1gfWCfi8m5bL4-HPIsOvepFLP1IjBeCpiJ-3BPJOU5Qz2rD7VvfG6o3QKUR38PlnKYGW0GjcCEryxV8_mHcjaY9H2SggHZyX9kdlII_AS0kdK3lsISUEZPXPb9y-GRXyJyGEVb5Q/s1600/DSCN7860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCcs1gfWCfi8m5bL4-HPIsOvepFLP1IjBeCpiJ-3BPJOU5Qz2rD7VvfG6o3QKUR38PlnKYGW0GjcCEryxV8_mHcjaY9H2SggHZyX9kdlII_AS0kdK3lsISUEZPXPb9y-GRXyJyGEVb5Q/s320/DSCN7860.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The next day, when I got home from work, I promptly took the ganache out of the fridge, as it was hard as could be. It also had a couple bits of water damage on top from condensation, so I scooped that out with a spoon. I microwaved it a bit (20 seconds, at most) to make it more pliable, then whipped the ganache with an electric mixer, briefly, which lightened up the color quite a bit. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbY3jOq2E3XE7Pja0-I1QQjqPHQb1Kzn-oD-D5wX011WmN-1wTjY0o4L39TLJ-EKAPTwAJPbaJfrOfzGlss4g6mrW_sS86bFB3xZcrd95WeF150mScZHdUsESnuGgE2EtFlzD-MOSUoxg/s1600/DSCN7863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbY3jOq2E3XE7Pja0-I1QQjqPHQb1Kzn-oD-D5wX011WmN-1wTjY0o4L39TLJ-EKAPTwAJPbaJfrOfzGlss4g6mrW_sS86bFB3xZcrd95WeF150mScZHdUsESnuGgE2EtFlzD-MOSUoxg/s320/DSCN7863.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Oh yes, I also added more Jameson's at this point, about 3 Tbsp more, beating it in with the mixer. You don't want to whip this too long, because you risk making the ganache get chunky in a bad way - separated because of the cream that's in there - think about what you get when you overwhip cream. Not pretty. So just enough to aerate it. It's not going to be very soft, and it's probably going to go many places in your kitchen. Pro-tip, choose a tall sided bowl. Set this aside for part three!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yum. If you don't have one, as I don't, borrow a Kitchenaid from a friend, or Alex. Makes making buttercream 100 times easier. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You need: </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">two sticks of unsalted butter </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">about 7 cups powdered sugar </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">two baby bottles (2oz each) Bailey's - no substitutes! If you do, you'll be sorry.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a little heavy cream to get the icing to your preferred consistency. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdSZhekOZZdfh_bkywasGn7R3x0t3mR9-EUHJvR5DxLiUHgLuoJ5H2Hre4GCS8l0fo2LPqAumDIw75paBQQ1bJI0gWDKpbpUdlXugzlorhZdkkvtU4ErX7W7Q3hnUChO5NCgU_XXnw4k/s1600/DSCN7867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdSZhekOZZdfh_bkywasGn7R3x0t3mR9-EUHJvR5DxLiUHgLuoJ5H2Hre4GCS8l0fo2LPqAumDIw75paBQQ1bJI0gWDKpbpUdlXugzlorhZdkkvtU4ErX7W7Q3hnUChO5NCgU_XXnw4k/s320/DSCN7867.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So you definitely cannot do this by hand, but if you don't have a Kitchenaid, you could use an electric mixer, which is how I usually make icing. Cream the butter, then add in the powdered sugar slowly, start with about 4 cups, then add in one of the bottles of Bailey's. Let it keep coming together, turning off the machine and using a spatula to push down the sides if you need to. Add more powdered sugar, then the other Bailey's, then a little cream until you get the consistency you want. I wanted light and fluffy and easy to spread. If you're planning to pipe it, you might want it a bit stiffer. If you want to pipe some and spread it too, remove some of the stiffer icing, then add a little cream to whip the rest into a spreadable consistency. If you add too much cream, never fear, a little more powdered sugar will fix everything. This section is a little under-photoed, no? It's just that combing butter and powdered sugar and Bailey's is not very exciting. However, if you could taste it, that would be an entirely different story... </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okay, so everything is prepped! Time to assemble the cake. Take out those two cake layers, and if you're brave like me, take a bread knife, and cut through the center of each layer, to make 4 total layers. I find that if you turn the cake as you cut through, you can easily keep it level. Remove the cut layers to additional parchment paper. Put the first layer on the cake platter, or whatever you're putting the cake on.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7ZsG6yqkdGsaguya84JrP6Y_oKt4amkAZTYPdmLIYoBSMf1C6YlTtHfyCdOSFSdzoDbLrE3MYwLkZCltorrqOGLafRtYCHeLF4PUo6YMTzG15IL3-05UD8w-qKjbck_pWqH-jieeWSI/s1600/DSCN7873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7ZsG6yqkdGsaguya84JrP6Y_oKt4amkAZTYPdmLIYoBSMf1C6YlTtHfyCdOSFSdzoDbLrE3MYwLkZCltorrqOGLafRtYCHeLF4PUo6YMTzG15IL3-05UD8w-qKjbck_pWqH-jieeWSI/s320/DSCN7873.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Spoon the ganache into a cake decorating bag, with only the inside attachment fit in the bag to stabilize the tip. You're not using an actual tip, you just want to have something to control the amount of ganache you put on the cake, and it doesn't hurt for it to be in the bag for a bit to help soften it with the heat of your hands. Pipe some onto a layer, then use a spatula to smooth out, making sure you don't go all the way to the edge, or you'll have a disaster when you ice the cake later. So stop the ganache about an 1/2" before the outside edge, although in this photo it's kind of too close to the edge in places. I fixed that. You could avoid piping the ganache, and just spread it right on, but it's not super soft, and you risk ruining your layers. That's why I pipe it on, and use the spatula to push down and spread slightly. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaviRhnWC4Vygir6-EH0WjghwJzp368SRxv3LyNDsiy3QvOAKq5At_5SBdtQIjomXUW3ugetGAOcY9dLrAktUXQT_i0TRZw6wznnFAU_grMd8PP1mIOMv6OuutUKinvZQVAuEUS8m3D0Y/s1600/DSCN7874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaviRhnWC4Vygir6-EH0WjghwJzp368SRxv3LyNDsiy3QvOAKq5At_5SBdtQIjomXUW3ugetGAOcY9dLrAktUXQT_i0TRZw6wznnFAU_grMd8PP1mIOMv6OuutUKinvZQVAuEUS8m3D0Y/s320/DSCN7874.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Place another layer on the cake, and repeat, two more times, then top the cake with the last layer, trying to keep everything as even as possible.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcAGoBR1wU19oFLz9wYoRZlGanLb2PCBKdfaGJ7WapW9xbdm6pAstRH8YKrL6CDnIDDFk5tPAvUMw40O_bxtnYr0Bt9JgrWPDFP2mT9hjm5_FttUMgiitLd8lKtKlKIqgG6e47scfwwI/s1600/DSCN7876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcAGoBR1wU19oFLz9wYoRZlGanLb2PCBKdfaGJ7WapW9xbdm6pAstRH8YKrL6CDnIDDFk5tPAvUMw40O_bxtnYr0Bt9JgrWPDFP2mT9hjm5_FttUMgiitLd8lKtKlKIqgG6e47scfwwI/s320/DSCN7876.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Grab your frosting, and pile a giant pile on top of the cake, and start spreading it out to the edge of the top. Add more on top and spread it so it starts falling over the sides of the cake... you're basically pushing it down the sides of the cake. Do this while turning and spreading until the cake is covered, taking care not to get too many crumbs into the icing. This is something that takes practice, so if you're new to this, don't fret if it's a mess. You'll get better at it. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkBxwTNmUZI2T32QlYFXD5cN_LnNjo7h5NO9Y3f5oIRIoQq8256vMc8IMEVr4ovLmhCNtZpJXS7rATLzLma-pQRBo9j1S4mxmhe_2VTFY0Ku4hPdnWMtmy2KlIjZ4VbYQLkJVvlR0QR8/s1600/DSCN7878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkBxwTNmUZI2T32QlYFXD5cN_LnNjo7h5NO9Y3f5oIRIoQq8256vMc8IMEVr4ovLmhCNtZpJXS7rATLzLma-pQRBo9j1S4mxmhe_2VTFY0Ku4hPdnWMtmy2KlIjZ4VbYQLkJVvlR0QR8/s320/DSCN7878.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, once you've iced it, you're done! Unless you want to get fancier, and top it with something. I had leftover icing and ganache, so I quickly combined them in the Kitchenaid, the piped shamrocks on top. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbmdAgl54Zo-qmUae8TXz2eLhVZvqlEzjiVsCf4v_p8rK7PRjZQWaPIQ5mVvxbYHK0c0XMRSp9er8SXaAplsbvkODguzmD2KgfpnbU6Kc7YlBdmnQ2mPvEGG605Ea8QX2xRZ2FZIpVww/s1600/DSCN7882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbmdAgl54Zo-qmUae8TXz2eLhVZvqlEzjiVsCf4v_p8rK7PRjZQWaPIQ5mVvxbYHK0c0XMRSp9er8SXaAplsbvkODguzmD2KgfpnbU6Kc7YlBdmnQ2mPvEGG605Ea8QX2xRZ2FZIpVww/s320/DSCN7882.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I wish I had had time to get sugar shamrocks from the Decorette Shop, but alas. At any rate, the cake was a hit. I hope you love the cake too, complex though it is. Let me know if you think it's worth ten bucks a slice. I'd probably need to work on making the look of it a little (or a lot) less rustic. But if you find Charlie's price is right, I'm definitely in the wrong business. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhup-uUBbKvW3EaBcKU1y6QI3kDSXcB5eGHUSst8UnEZ9i94whMPkh_6BfLr-YafUE42gN3Lo1LVhDn-z28cFJiQjIS0TY2sEvtHQOuKUlSlxo2Hq-jJbakuQ5QXHp0vqEWOB91tqes94g/s1600/DSCN7885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhup-uUBbKvW3EaBcKU1y6QI3kDSXcB5eGHUSst8UnEZ9i94whMPkh_6BfLr-YafUE42gN3Lo1LVhDn-z28cFJiQjIS0TY2sEvtHQOuKUlSlxo2Hq-jJbakuQ5QXHp0vqEWOB91tqes94g/s320/DSCN7885.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoTdrtwCWTzthGpzhQFj2YfQZSHdD0hI2MtI9kQzyBFYHR48Qd4CDR837Uj-tSBkdYR012eHa_T4LJClfqdbobn3big0eFFzEBcjewLrjWRy_zBHA1EeqZxoLHc19R9ZT4uLQP5P6SDM/s1600/DSCN7886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoTdrtwCWTzthGpzhQFj2YfQZSHdD0hI2MtI9kQzyBFYHR48Qd4CDR837Uj-tSBkdYR012eHa_T4LJClfqdbobn3big0eFFzEBcjewLrjWRy_zBHA1EeqZxoLHc19R9ZT4uLQP5P6SDM/s320/DSCN7886.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
It's worth all the work! Make it for a crowd, a small slice goes a long way. Enjoy! -T</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-77221061483329322382011-02-28T21:44:00.000-08:002011-02-28T21:44:47.607-08:00I'm back ... with Whoopie Pies ... but not just any whoopie pies.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5f-j1AN8iKS7PhNMHqCqsAaXBdoxedwgPl3yM_P1J67QKpACgnbYzbQQIM34B3lbz6z7Hf0Hk-WOljUEKG3mmH3asRgO286Gr4sZrnUoVC-ZVEo1pg238JhWSCbcqFVt14TrbDP8LPM/s1600/DSCN7734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5f-j1AN8iKS7PhNMHqCqsAaXBdoxedwgPl3yM_P1J67QKpACgnbYzbQQIM34B3lbz6z7Hf0Hk-WOljUEKG3mmH3asRgO286Gr4sZrnUoVC-ZVEo1pg238JhWSCbcqFVt14TrbDP8LPM/s320/DSCN7734.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Hello there. You might wonder where I've been, what with my grand claims of posting here more in the new year and whatnot. Well, I'll tell you. I gave up sugar and beer for the month of February, no small feat for a sugar fiend like me. And lover of beer. End result, I could totally give up sugar for another month, but why would I want too? It sucks much of the joy out of my life. I think instead, I will perhaps be more moderate in my sugar choices in the future. But at any rate, that's a partial reason why I've been away. But I'm back! I gave up my fast a couple days early to celebrate a friend's birthday. This friend loves the rum and coke like none other. Alex gave me a lovely little book called Booze Cakes for Valentine's Day, which just happened to have a recipe for rum and coke whoopie pies, and so, I knew the friend would have to have them for his birthday celebration. He thought he wanted key lime pie. He might get that next year, but this year, he got whoopie pies. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">These pies are serious. Seriously sweet, and good, but not nearly as coke-flavored as I would have hoped, their flavor is much more chocolately. Because you couldn't increase the soda in the recipe without affecting its outcome, I would suggest if you try this at home, you get some cola extract from your local decorator's shop to punch up the flavor. I think it would be worth it. You do *not* need to punch up the rum. Whew. I added a bit more than was called for, but I'll get to that. So here we go.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MZ-9yEShCs-reYSLg8yA2HzWufqD3n7UlZuc_HW7isJNoIOUGOYB5xk_tpdngWKERIo6nQoFusNZVvd3RtqkWudSn2gBVAb3VEnpg0QMLCiVuo-phFYowwli2FkF5jSXMjdY7gaJK9I/s1600/DSCN7721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MZ-9yEShCs-reYSLg8yA2HzWufqD3n7UlZuc_HW7isJNoIOUGOYB5xk_tpdngWKERIo6nQoFusNZVvd3RtqkWudSn2gBVAb3VEnpg0QMLCiVuo-phFYowwli2FkF5jSXMjdY7gaJK9I/s200/DSCN7721.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4A_S-8WPVKqKig1NjtJC6YAS0ZTuMyZiVT-CS5GeWSDbsxg0SIbsKX40vFEkxSQKK6XEVi6JVe5ogCZPLyZGQQmBbq-rvysBgRFC9x4MZUt00GO5t3a2r785Km6iP35KxMIvEhWvOJI/s1600/DSCN7685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4A_S-8WPVKqKig1NjtJC6YAS0ZTuMyZiVT-CS5GeWSDbsxg0SIbsKX40vFEkxSQKK6XEVi6JVe5ogCZPLyZGQQmBbq-rvysBgRFC9x4MZUt00GO5t3a2r785Km6iP35KxMIvEhWvOJI/s200/DSCN7685.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rum and Coke Whoopie Pies from the book <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781594744235-0">Booze Cakes</a>, with very light adaptations, and suggestions for learning from my experience.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> This is a fairly complex recipe, in that there are three separate recipes, and then assembly. It's really not too difficult, but it is time and space and bowl consuming. Make sure you have a lot of time, and bowls, and space.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Step one: make the cakes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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Slightly soften one stick of butter - 1/2 cup. I put the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds to get it to the consistency I'm looking for. Alternately, you could leave your butters (you need more later) out on the counter for a few hours to soften. Beat together with one cup of sugar. You want this to whip this to make it fluffy, so beat on high for a few minutes. Add two eggs and 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. (the recipe calls for 1 tsp, but I always add a little more). Beat some more. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKbzvd_9HSx5qr0n2UZceW67sWI1rPEjPmg84LbqE8ZTgafqQ0hjbJmX6he-OmX4-21zaI4R9eLt5At3rn0AnCvr7TRoIOO6cjEhIdvKscIih-a9jj7S4d-j9qVkdpeGCmYS0otxUcd8/s1600/DSCN7696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKbzvd_9HSx5qr0n2UZceW67sWI1rPEjPmg84LbqE8ZTgafqQ0hjbJmX6he-OmX4-21zaI4R9eLt5At3rn0AnCvr7TRoIOO6cjEhIdvKscIih-a9jj7S4d-j9qVkdpeGCmYS0otxUcd8/s320/DSCN7696.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM-ZAge3FV8yYh4VBryMVIwvWlif-tkVVygk00zbbV5mKhQAXIca9Yo4b6sc5f0RwL8I_E8IpYuX3DGKQALXEbv_PpTuIpjSV5j-53a-fP37PU_LtSXXTr686lk92Jzr-vi8luKNJRUE/s1600/DSCN7699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUM-ZAge3FV8yYh4VBryMVIwvWlif-tkVVygk00zbbV5mKhQAXIca9Yo4b6sc5f0RwL8I_E8IpYuX3DGKQALXEbv_PpTuIpjSV5j-53a-fP37PU_LtSXXTr686lk92Jzr-vi8luKNJRUE/s320/DSCN7699.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
In a little bowl combine 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup cola. I used Mexican Coke, as I wanted sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup in my batter, but as I mentioned, the flavor did not stand out. I do think you should put in a drop or two of cola extract for a more robust flavor. Then combine this with the batter above. It gets kind of gross looking and separated here for a second, but fear not, it will come together when you add in your dry ingredients.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1A3I3-wAC5E04I8inCDQwMZI0QRlJNGI2uecMjO126IW8KYJMFs354ArKM04uEkkQ1s9FwzXeGpofI-pltyP9-Sz7-4nY_hhwo-j26pu94fQunaF4LKHFNHdSASh9eV7JZxN1b5qu9hg/s1600/DSCN7700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1A3I3-wAC5E04I8inCDQwMZI0QRlJNGI2uecMjO126IW8KYJMFs354ArKM04uEkkQ1s9FwzXeGpofI-pltyP9-Sz7-4nY_hhwo-j26pu94fQunaF4LKHFNHdSASh9eV7JZxN1b5qu9hg/s320/DSCN7700.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmiqwN896hGzeb5Nw_ZCrIA-TqHWiunDcCAxTNWZiTzOD6WT7_N6_iaXH_WK-QUA7XG7cjrBc8qbHLrg3MShcDaMCLZxy8C2ZJYwIZ8hKYDWVXRbhmPuwefio4KIBIj2qLCBJuE1ztUM/s1600/DSCN7701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmiqwN896hGzeb5Nw_ZCrIA-TqHWiunDcCAxTNWZiTzOD6WT7_N6_iaXH_WK-QUA7XG7cjrBc8qbHLrg3MShcDaMCLZxy8C2ZJYwIZ8hKYDWVXRbhmPuwefio4KIBIj2qLCBJuE1ztUM/s320/DSCN7701.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dC_wO-DaJX6za_Wq98kHyXiBa8YLhDvsHc6OlxBLMepboVUHPeq8qMqUUZ7H8XkUwVAqHDlWIy8bWT7z_os_WrhuPO5U95F64BXenJk4du7IOwBXt3-lpmRGYx500DNpX3yTQQhW7DQ/s1600/DSCN7702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dC_wO-DaJX6za_Wq98kHyXiBa8YLhDvsHc6OlxBLMepboVUHPeq8qMqUUZ7H8XkUwVAqHDlWIy8bWT7z_os_WrhuPO5U95F64BXenJk4du7IOwBXt3-lpmRGYx500DNpX3yTQQhW7DQ/s320/DSCN7702.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Mix in your flour - 2 & 1/2 cups, about a cup at a time, then add 5 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used plain old Hershey's but I think this would be a good recipe to fancy it up a bit, if you want to use something different. If I had some right now, I would be using <a href="http://omanhene.3dcartstores.com/Natural-Cocoa-Powder_p_5.html">Omanhene</a>, which is my favorite cocoa ever),1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt (I like kosher salt). Mix! </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBtHQ3iPpbn9KBxP6BGs7XsfmKbpDon3wrJLVmjg4AypmZSPd2lwIYG71X4GV8WOljP0BLTi4elYHpafHIwSkwRZRac3hr0Bp52zQrZ1-D7qKKiuWtJCwThR9DY3WFFXOoAVW1gcVa8M/s1600/DSCN7706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBtHQ3iPpbn9KBxP6BGs7XsfmKbpDon3wrJLVmjg4AypmZSPd2lwIYG71X4GV8WOljP0BLTi4elYHpafHIwSkwRZRac3hr0Bp52zQrZ1-D7qKKiuWtJCwThR9DY3WFFXOoAVW1gcVa8M/s320/DSCN7706.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Get out two cookie sheets and lay down parchment paper on them. You need this to prevent the cakes from sticking. You could use your silpat too, if you have that, but I just use parchment. The recipe says it makes 8 pies, but those pies would be huge, and these are seriously sweet, so I'd say, make more than 8. I made 16 total, 12 small and 4 big, on three total cookie sheets. Drop them into little round balls on the tray. I use my finger to shape them slightly. Bake them for ten minutes (I did two sheets, then one sheet), for ten minutes. Let them cool. they'll come right off the parchment without sticking. That's part one. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSg3fPVj-ZBUqH5Fqx7cB0V5gVaX0Q8z1EaqnPl6gaP7_7AbYakSJEpVhaoCH9GmPO3ihcs7lOk0wwOPwhGWlvNmqLMNU1Le0dchXR-j_U2B_HPslUx-QY2dcouVCJTpOaMuuyEae-_c/s1600/DSCN7717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSg3fPVj-ZBUqH5Fqx7cB0V5gVaX0Q8z1EaqnPl6gaP7_7AbYakSJEpVhaoCH9GmPO3ihcs7lOk0wwOPwhGWlvNmqLMNU1Le0dchXR-j_U2B_HPslUx-QY2dcouVCJTpOaMuuyEae-_c/s320/DSCN7717.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRz4pWq4fdcTF5RdCVlGk4msyeBhOXx5ge6iEqHDfqOq5zKf4bcC2ye8hYsH_h3-JMVculL4oDradCjx09xiurfAu3WmFdCU93Qwa2oRAU5ECklwk8zgLnFMOopJMnlE58hlAwF4OWV8/s1600/DSCN7718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
While part one is baking, you can get started on your homemade marshmallow fluff, or you can open your pre-bought can of marshmallow fluff and take a load off! I did not do this so... beat 3 egg whites, 2 cups of light corn syrup (I had not quite two cups and so used a little dark, because, yes, I also had dark, and it was fine) and 1/2 tsp salt forEVER. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnmGdB1S91jdkdi4XOoZ3jqP9GMhsKuflBCdms9x0uu1VMrF79-tnQ0pW_AYaTa1-99QQ5Al6gmgz2aIFXx3uboDLB_faSK4pVm99Fdng2ueiOGoZwuX9Sj4T2-wyY0Zr0IuKSk_jxbo/s1600/DSCN7707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnmGdB1S91jdkdi4XOoZ3jqP9GMhsKuflBCdms9x0uu1VMrF79-tnQ0pW_AYaTa1-99QQ5Al6gmgz2aIFXx3uboDLB_faSK4pVm99Fdng2ueiOGoZwuX9Sj4T2-wyY0Zr0IuKSk_jxbo/s320/DSCN7707.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Well, okay, it just seems like forever, but really, it's ten minutes. Here's where you should learn from me. One, buy a kitchenaid mixer so you don't have to do this by hand, and two, when you think it's really thick at 5 minutes, you need to still beat it for another 5 minutes, or you will have some consistency issues when you make your filling for the pies. So after all that blending and thickening, add 2 cups powdered sugar and blend some more. The finished product is in the picture below, and I think it's not thick enough at about 6 minutes. Remember to beat for ten minutes *before* adding the powdered sugar.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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At this point, this stuff does *not* taste like marshmallow fluff, but miraculously, when you add 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract, it suddenly does. Here's something to think about at this point. Say you want to make peppermint patty whoopie pies... I'd say add peppermint extract here. Or had a reason for your filling to be orangey, or almondy (wedding cake whoopie pies?), I'd add that extract instead. Maybe 2 tsps of that extract to 1 tsp vanilla? Just a thought. So, the recipe says this makes 2 1/4 cups, but no, it makes like 6 cups! Those egg whites really whip up. So, if you're just making this for the pies, halve it!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpyIV56cKQ3korlXcIyvVvjH9bURDIGATq84-ekLG9Rx7goq0OefnAMme7K5-3OiwmgCjvpZv1-0zVMtp5DuhvFIkA75lsU1LLW1yp0eG9Z0ylFyCk05cWzJ0WbqNR_h5I28VKdfVtpI/s1600/DSCN7722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpyIV56cKQ3korlXcIyvVvjH9bURDIGATq84-ekLG9Rx7goq0OefnAMme7K5-3OiwmgCjvpZv1-0zVMtp5DuhvFIkA75lsU1LLW1yp0eG9Z0ylFyCk05cWzJ0WbqNR_h5I28VKdfVtpI/s320/DSCN7722.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Okay, so you've made and or opened your fluff. Now you must make the filling. Would you believe you add additional sugar? Like I said, these pies are serious. So, add one cup fluff to 1/2 cup slightly soft butter (unsalted!! unless you like your sweet filling salty instead) and beat like crazy. Again, your kitchenaid would come in handy here. Then add your rum - 3-4 Tbsp. Beat. Then add in 2 cups of powdered sugar. I found I had to add a lot more sugar than was called for - about another cup - to get the consistency I wanted - so I also had to add more rum to keep the flavor strong - about 1 to 2 more Tbsp. I suspect that if you whip your fluff longer than I did, or buy store bought, you probably won't have this problem. Let me know. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNNLjBZqciAbgV0bRL_mDg_2FkD1G0Mx-BeYL4n80sJ-1nyvYkEx56tVaTznYvqCBC419kncGX-WDzgaGjHxPLX-GXXrIPtbtnNCvsqwUiUiYNN9ZEJtMzacJ6HLiesu3XAU31HGg1EY/s1600/DSCN7727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNNLjBZqciAbgV0bRL_mDg_2FkD1G0Mx-BeYL4n80sJ-1nyvYkEx56tVaTznYvqCBC419kncGX-WDzgaGjHxPLX-GXXrIPtbtnNCvsqwUiUiYNN9ZEJtMzacJ6HLiesu3XAU31HGg1EY/s320/DSCN7727.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
So - assembly time! I found cakes that were roughly the same size, used an icing spatula to add a little filling (leaving a little space around the outside, knowing I was going to smush it), and then, I had whoopie pies. I still wasn't super wild about my filling consistency, so I stuck the cakes in the fridge for about an hour, and they held up very well - they made it to the bar, where the birthday fellow gave me the thumbs up for his birthday treat. The friends all approved. So glad to be back on the sweets! --T</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EsJN5TTNAHyMVvtnM7Ct6B1rRnmrxN4E9SMQ1ozKqdU2VTSWzmlzXw3gbSZx2UMDhzW6RRUyam2YAA_xaAOkpTvDM8p6cmiwVNgGsd67qsOFjY_HGnnoYPjShpllPUt8aFr0OqhfvX0/s1600/DSCN7754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EsJN5TTNAHyMVvtnM7Ct6B1rRnmrxN4E9SMQ1ozKqdU2VTSWzmlzXw3gbSZx2UMDhzW6RRUyam2YAA_xaAOkpTvDM8p6cmiwVNgGsd67qsOFjY_HGnnoYPjShpllPUt8aFr0OqhfvX0/s320/DSCN7754.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWIhJ1ZctEfH4jvPl-RCG4ILphW8GRFrL5zZ3x24m6w92DEAGiVHwicV9RzzjZfz8GrYrYSIbS4sCXN9jUST-oiBAgK4Do6eAuJHjAfyRq0f2PIaphfWx_CERWr42eV7DK40mz-HCftQ/s1600/DSCN7756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWIhJ1ZctEfH4jvPl-RCG4ILphW8GRFrL5zZ3x24m6w92DEAGiVHwicV9RzzjZfz8GrYrYSIbS4sCXN9jUST-oiBAgK4Do6eAuJHjAfyRq0f2PIaphfWx_CERWr42eV7DK40mz-HCftQ/s320/DSCN7756.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-54402361015786002352011-01-23T20:17:00.000-08:002011-01-23T20:17:41.343-08:00Vegetarian Chili for January grayness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSZZb71PgFJqiL4Pb0VmH3s5Puh1gVPPfbWv3_MuubyEia2ST90e9dDkGOCnCn2eLHS01xnIQJ7GCREhnRdm-ZQeZwbU3Q5CNXA1UL5Vk-CUbSGGtjY-ZVw6Qp0cLkcj6R6qYmAa_oHY/s1600/IMAG0684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSZZb71PgFJqiL4Pb0VmH3s5Puh1gVPPfbWv3_MuubyEia2ST90e9dDkGOCnCn2eLHS01xnIQJ7GCREhnRdm-ZQeZwbU3Q5CNXA1UL5Vk-CUbSGGtjY-ZVw6Qp0cLkcj6R6qYmAa_oHY/s320/IMAG0684.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I spent a lot of time this afternoon flipping through cookbooks and the interwebs in search of something to make for dinner. At first I thought I wanted to make another bread and a soup, but nothing struck my fancy. I was thinking of things I had in my cabinets and remembered I brought back cans of Brooks chili hot beans from St. Louis, and thought, chili! However, I am tired of meat chili, so I wanted to branch out a bit and go for health! It is January after all, month of resolutions, not quite yet fallen by the wayside ... so I looked at the Joy of Cooking veggie chili recipe but wasn't inspired, so took my search ("veggie chili" and also "vegetarian chili") to the interwebs. I like to browse through Google images to find a picture of what I have in mind ... in this case I was thinking really hearty, vibrant in color, spicy, and with lots of vegetables. I came upon two recipes (<a href="http://www.crumblycookie.net/2009/02/20/vegetarian-chili/">1</a> & <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Two-Bean-Vegetarian-Chili-107274">2</a>) which I ended up drawing from to make mine. How reductive is it to be making your chili from Epicurious (<i>Bon Appetit</i>, 2002) and a blogger's chili, which is adapted from two cookbooks' recipes for chili? Very. But you know, that's the awesome thing about chili, it is a recipe in constant flux, to the benefit of eaters everywhere.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Brooks chili hot beans might just be the most delicious prepared chili beans in existence, and very sadly, are not available in the PNW. I love them despite the dreaded HFCS listed on the label, they're just that awesome. At any rate, I wanted to use them in the chili. So at the store I purchased a can of 15 oz. black beans and a can of dark red kidney beans, which I love. I learned something by reading the label at the store; some dark red kidney beans are prepared in sugar and salt, and others, just in salt. Even though they were .30 more, I went with the sugar free variety, because it just seems like a weird thing to include sugar in a can of beans. In that aisle I also picked up a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, and a small can of corn . . . Do I need to walk you through my entire grocery experience? Perhaps not. Let's proceed to the cooking.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, okay, here is what I did, which is adapted from the recipes above.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Food processored to fine dice two yellow onions, one red pepper, and one orange pepper.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0yQr4asNIQ1m4rM2u1ZqC0QN51RYV_6Bii2qdmV2YjZuwpRwJKS9B0qqCZjRkH5SvaSXrkkk1ayzld0qR5lzzFdkzu0d5XfMXfVJRj1oNxWgodfhPe-ZmlLiLzCRU8gEkIaE7zuVvHA/s1600/IMAG0663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0yQr4asNIQ1m4rM2u1ZqC0QN51RYV_6Bii2qdmV2YjZuwpRwJKS9B0qqCZjRkH5SvaSXrkkk1ayzld0qR5lzzFdkzu0d5XfMXfVJRj1oNxWgodfhPe-ZmlLiLzCRU8gEkIaE7zuVvHA/s320/IMAG0663.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv53OjeM3oK8ldxZJnKcS2ZEyj2-tRQVFcXn2keOVIbFIjBbJrAeAzW09NOvdMBXEAFnjDJ4gIAAwy-5Y-8C_xnmx7eGCI1OKpX6jQLKXeXKbP3o2TJKe7Zpvr6YaACZbclQ9ppVe_pqQ/s1600/IMAG0664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv53OjeM3oK8ldxZJnKcS2ZEyj2-tRQVFcXn2keOVIbFIjBbJrAeAzW09NOvdMBXEAFnjDJ4gIAAwy-5Y-8C_xnmx7eGCI1OKpX6jQLKXeXKbP3o2TJKe7Zpvr6YaACZbclQ9ppVe_pqQ/s320/IMAG0664.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Measured out all my spices: 3 & 1/2 T chili pepper, 1 & 1/2 T cumin, 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I just heaped a 1/2 tsp and it was plenty), 1/8 t cayenne pepper (for me, this is about two or three shakes from the jar), 1 and 1/2 tsp coriander (I don't know exactly what this does for flavor, not too familiar with it in cooking), 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt. Later I threw in a few shakes of cinnamon, but I say include it with this group of spices, as it will get soaked up with everything else. I just tasted the chili (it's in progress as I write, and it's rather spicy - in a really great way. I think it needs just a little more salt, which I will throw in when I'm done cooking).</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwUIZFsY0TWvCK8iwdOYIxstUPj3CEvWtcQdBxBKB6oe5ORpmXbGvOYtkNRgnxmAObHPkGGrFweaY6F26kQoeRdSey4wKso0xGQX3wdvHwwY0iyu2teQ5zwIef1zHb_xMtaxYk11JnaM/s1600/IMAG0671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwUIZFsY0TWvCK8iwdOYIxstUPj3CEvWtcQdBxBKB6oe5ORpmXbGvOYtkNRgnxmAObHPkGGrFweaY6F26kQoeRdSey4wKso0xGQX3wdvHwwY0iyu2teQ5zwIef1zHb_xMtaxYk11JnaM/s320/IMAG0671.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Alex recently reminded me that I do actually own a garlic press that he gave me, and so, in his honor, I used it to press out six cloves of garlic. Fun!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X7GQ1vmTq3AiPt9hMQshdT2AO0boGWavam2w3ih4IXRvt6OZNhLOINakGYsDCzHdnnw5fqOSlEveKWwfB1wlC_PIkCm2Sfq1S2Q35qjIjrnahm1srHa7_bcozjnSbx0u5ZI0AXM8V6s/s1600/IMAG0666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X7GQ1vmTq3AiPt9hMQshdT2AO0boGWavam2w3ih4IXRvt6OZNhLOINakGYsDCzHdnnw5fqOSlEveKWwfB1wlC_PIkCm2Sfq1S2Q35qjIjrnahm1srHa7_bcozjnSbx0u5ZI0AXM8V6s/s320/IMAG0666.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, I threw a few tablespoons of olive oil into my stock pot, then added in the veggies, the garlic, and the spices, and cooked them until soft. Ten to fifteen minutes does this. I cook this kind of stuff on 5 or so on the electric stove, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick or burn, which is gross, and also, *not* delicious.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6pTObkBJglT_MLfbyG-9Yv82K8nFxaSvZSbpU3ybdlv_4HtovmfvTea3kJw4NzPyKdDTIF7jUKjgmcf-_opiJl2hklslyDglDl74rGxPtqE1ud_f9Y1VyoH600UXiH3fN6Lw0uiPcOE/s1600/IMAG0678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6pTObkBJglT_MLfbyG-9Yv82K8nFxaSvZSbpU3ybdlv_4HtovmfvTea3kJw4NzPyKdDTIF7jUKjgmcf-_opiJl2hklslyDglDl74rGxPtqE1ud_f9Y1VyoH600UXiH3fN6Lw0uiPcOE/s320/IMAG0678.jpg" width="320" /><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I drained and rinsed the black and kidney beans, and just added in the chili hot beans as is (was?). Then I threw in the 28 oz can of tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, 6 oz I think (I really like this in chili), and because it was way too thick, nearly an entire 28 oz can of water to get the consistency I wanted. Add in batches if you don't want your chili to get too thin. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfaurlnYvSa0SffFSKexGuy-DsFFaV3haeSdTmak9OFWt9j-2uCe7IY1hobtvzprMsiQ86MPDFukMBi9zNYWP7BWLd-p6gRfO_BG0SxckwPhbel1_MLiTth2Is5PjUzyqhRiYF_WM21w/s1600/IMAG0677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfaurlnYvSa0SffFSKexGuy-DsFFaV3haeSdTmak9OFWt9j-2uCe7IY1hobtvzprMsiQ86MPDFukMBi9zNYWP7BWLd-p6gRfO_BG0SxckwPhbel1_MLiTth2Is5PjUzyqhRiYF_WM21w/s320/IMAG0677.jpg" width="191" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuROQacFDbVOfmCxUeFaI17sP1lPYT5iy7kUauGhW6mqw4X8UgdwAzdBNQmJpwiQoUdAGZa0Oe-Tcbp9Z0Yf3q8yULdzsHsKHuK8vcP1OThQCsKwG8dDZv3dagZzAZsvQFJIUicNjcosk/s1600/IMAG0675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuROQacFDbVOfmCxUeFaI17sP1lPYT5iy7kUauGhW6mqw4X8UgdwAzdBNQmJpwiQoUdAGZa0Oe-Tcbp9Z0Yf3q8yULdzsHsKHuK8vcP1OThQCsKwG8dDZv3dagZzAZsvQFJIUicNjcosk/s320/IMAG0675.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bring this up to a boil. Then taste to be sure the chili is doing what you want it too, and if not, add more spice to your needs. Then reduce the heat to low and let it come together for about an hour. Kill time. Check facebook, write blog posts, read people's reviews of the above mentioned recipes, and so forth. About ten minutes before you finish this cooking, add in a small drained can of yellow corn - or white, if you prefer, I like yellow in chili.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYNxtSEP9BCJecT6fouZef7I8Lw269Nv6-rh-z-8Y1arQhNqI99S5Ylx_aFlhAAR4C5aDWBG9iDypngUKPJaWR6Z9ry5OM49LFR0whzs4IeAoJJKPmBtIVImjXMIzdk8tUBOHtaorU7w/s1600/IMAG0682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYNxtSEP9BCJecT6fouZef7I8Lw269Nv6-rh-z-8Y1arQhNqI99S5Ylx_aFlhAAR4C5aDWBG9iDypngUKPJaWR6Z9ry5OM49LFR0whzs4IeAoJJKPmBtIVImjXMIzdk8tUBOHtaorU7w/s320/IMAG0682.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYaBYGfRhn3C8v2KQUqEiCNpo3VuJp6N0siikR5GaEOUbKI__h3wES842PFHW7-F75UaR1yazzormnIpSvcGny6lVaUfSLAJtM6tS0KfWW0beqG3eIgrNRaf9OTNYAfZlYMiW-LrmaLA/s1600/IMAG0683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYaBYGfRhn3C8v2KQUqEiCNpo3VuJp6N0siikR5GaEOUbKI__h3wES842PFHW7-F75UaR1yazzormnIpSvcGny6lVaUfSLAJtM6tS0KfWW0beqG3eIgrNRaf9OTNYAfZlYMiW-LrmaLA/s320/IMAG0683.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the end, I hope yours looks as good as this:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_KD1BqmBLvtAFXLkIrEmyXa8Xi6PRQdq0PuZR1kQli_75rBI9llMpO2sSVcyLhAausruX0w3KkoUw_lAjTGzER-QXWs7sLhtU5h9RYMLymB8vsMSDTeK4B3d5wsuDedLmoNFGbF1IQ0/s1600/IMAG0687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_KD1BqmBLvtAFXLkIrEmyXa8Xi6PRQdq0PuZR1kQli_75rBI9llMpO2sSVcyLhAausruX0w3KkoUw_lAjTGzER-QXWs7sLhtU5h9RYMLymB8vsMSDTeK4B3d5wsuDedLmoNFGbF1IQ0/s320/IMAG0687.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> The sour cream and cheese cool down the spiciness a bit, plus, the taste! The cinnamon gives this chili kind of an extraordinary fragrance. I also decided to whip up some sweet corn muffins while I waited, they make a nice side. I hear it's a LOT colder in other parts of the country right now ... hope this warms you up.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">**After eating note: this chili is freaking awesome. A definite keeper. Also, mine made about 13 cups, so this is great for leftovers.** </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-T</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-16712014677008701032011-01-09T19:25:00.000-08:002011-01-09T19:25:16.450-08:00Goals: 2011 and White Bean SoupPost here more often. Make more food, spend more time in the kitchen. I realize how much peace it brings me to cook, to produce delicious foods, to share those foods with others. Mostly it is Alex and me sharing food, but this year, I want to have more dinners more often, work towards a regular day of the week when people are openly invited to stop by for dinner, something simple and delicious. I want to create more of a home this year, and to me, feeding people is so much of what home is. This last Christmas, my mom and I made over fifteen different cookies and candies to share with neighbors, friends, and family. We had a potential fudge disaster, which with some quick thinking turned into the best fudge we've ever made. Being in the kitchen, working together, was so wonderful. I baked with my mom, cooked Christmas dinner with my dad, made tapas with my sister Angie, and just enjoyed food and togetherness. Today, for the first time in 2011, I'm truly returning to the kitchen - sure, I've made new year's appetizers, huevos rancheros, and other small every day meals, but tonight I'm making split pea soup, fresh white bread, and vanilla bean pudding. I feel peaceful and happy. This is a feeling I wish to have more often. I hope that this feeling in turn creates more desire to post what's happening in my kitchen here.<br />
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But to begin, while I wait for my soup to come together and my bread dough to rise, I'll tell you about a lovely, simple and hearty soup I made late last year.<br />
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White Bean Soup with Kale, Tomato, and Andouille Sausage<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir1NEjkoMG_66_G96K_eZ_Ak55a6aZFnLoyMWWhZbsQjJzI40fHoLXtKXm_z7rHXeMaRp1Ood2UJCUcdAn0CxhHFJDsDx9DXpTWckvbhwEfuSczFZwE_rS8SkzPwFezApLW4_QofLYOA/s1600/IMAG0452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir1NEjkoMG_66_G96K_eZ_Ak55a6aZFnLoyMWWhZbsQjJzI40fHoLXtKXm_z7rHXeMaRp1Ood2UJCUcdAn0CxhHFJDsDx9DXpTWckvbhwEfuSczFZwE_rS8SkzPwFezApLW4_QofLYOA/s320/IMAG0452.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I found this recipe in the free Oregonian, which is distributed every week to my doorstep, and has its hits and misses. It's slightly adapted from the original. The soup was a hit, though I think it could be improved by a spicier a less generic andouille than I used. It would have been brighter and more fiery, a good balance to the mild beans and kale. But it was still delicious. I suggest getting a spicy andouille from your local meat counter instead of buying something pre-packaged from the deli case. Here in Portland, try Otto's or Gartner's. I don't think you could go wrong either of those places.<br />
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You need a large soup pot. If you're still reading here and you don't own one of these, really, give yourself a late Christmas present (or early Groundhog's day present) and go get one. Alex gave me one last year and it is one of my most used kitchen items. You also need to know you're going to make this a day in advance, as you will need to soak your beans overnight. Remember when you are soaking beans to add more than enough water to cover, as the beans will soak it up a bit, and also expand. Use a large enough bowl so that you don't come home to overflow.<br />
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I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. How about a list of ingredients? You got it:<br />
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you need to have these on hand the night before to soak: 1 lb great northern beans (white beans, dried)<br />
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8 oz andouille sausage, and really, get something fresh, homemade, and spicy - you want to create 1/4 inch-ish half moons from the sausage, so you'll cut it down the middle lengthwise, then across to create those half moon shapes.<br />
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1 small white onion, 1 and 1/2 carrots, 1 and 1/2 stalks celery (I think we might consider this soup's holy trinity) diced finely. Have a food processor? If so, you'll save yourself large amounts of time and energy by cutting the above into chunks and pulsing to finely dice (though I have a pretty picture of them separated below, doing this altogether is fine, and much more efficient). I love using mine for this purpose. So fast and so finely diced.<br />
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1 clove minced garlic<br />
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1 and 1/2 quarts chicken broth. It's easier for me to think in ounces. So if it is for you too, that's 48 oz. I use low-sodium from the store. Maybe I will start making broth, but not today.<br />
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1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes.<br />
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8ish oz kale - stems and ribs removed and chopped. Consider how much you'll be removing and discarding when you buy this at the store, and buy more than 8 oz.<br />
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olive oil / tabasco / balsamic vinegar / kosher s & fresh ground p / brown sugar. <br />
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This soup takes time, so shoot for making this on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, or getting home from work early to prepare and eat by 8:30 or so. Rinse the beans that have been soaking in a colander.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwF7Bjdedd-oQBXKLmLkl-gJs7CUtZfU9sMLVq8QYL83j-SqF3KvnX4EFbNAdDpvFZz6-dwT_W2jtHpeYBKLZQ6yioaO_Ly-VmPcKNK32u1JbdCNNaVOgfhWyD2XnB4nKLaIJXk05XsM/s1600/IMAG0434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwF7Bjdedd-oQBXKLmLkl-gJs7CUtZfU9sMLVq8QYL83j-SqF3KvnX4EFbNAdDpvFZz6-dwT_W2jtHpeYBKLZQ6yioaO_Ly-VmPcKNK32u1JbdCNNaVOgfhWyD2XnB4nKLaIJXk05XsM/s320/IMAG0434.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Fry up the andouille sausage in a pan to brown on all sides, add just a smidge of olive oil so it doesn't stick. Though this didn't occur to me at the time, I think it would be a great idea, to impart more sausage flavor and save a pan, to simply brown it in your soup pot, then remove to a plate while you saute the vegetables. Try that, let me know how it goes. <br />
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In the soup pot, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high ish (6-7) heat, then saute the trinity until it is soft. Don't burn it. If you need to add a little more oil, do so. This takes about 5-7 minutes - in the last minute, add the minced garlic.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRl-hjb6H7ua-jRnkQRWwd-t0DXfMeztMQMDMzjehjsllF5e9pyPswPTz5qV8WEnq5w2EZgnrjMMf203VzKXfzW87PFEW5KdXHgnlUMYIEAJ22jOcvKB8TtkemduUgX7N8yGEyL00Jjs/s1600/IMAG0431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRl-hjb6H7ua-jRnkQRWwd-t0DXfMeztMQMDMzjehjsllF5e9pyPswPTz5qV8WEnq5w2EZgnrjMMf203VzKXfzW87PFEW5KdXHgnlUMYIEAJ22jOcvKB8TtkemduUgX7N8yGEyL00Jjs/s320/IMAG0431.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Next! Add in the beans, the sausage, broth, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVH4mLWvOp3jvcpoZNrNlezpoabwHwaSHJpEH-GE59n0xK33U1ErH6UEa7mqCB1EBX1cDF8KUGsm8o13E6WLjOiyh8A3BelAqN9wqGgT2_eKdzfEJi7zfzXE24Gvffa_89nvdn5f9dSY/s1600/IMAG0438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVH4mLWvOp3jvcpoZNrNlezpoabwHwaSHJpEH-GE59n0xK33U1ErH6UEa7mqCB1EBX1cDF8KUGsm8o13E6WLjOiyh8A3BelAqN9wqGgT2_eKdzfEJi7zfzXE24Gvffa_89nvdn5f9dSY/s320/IMAG0438.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn0mS-tQjwN5jB9XcA6E7Lab9Wp96kB4TUTJZMEXfFajkACPlH_Qk5dvLSW-mf6Xuee6-I-J-Tr0tMjCMOeDgc_pfQukVU2swEzxbIgzcPo7lKGSGDlSGmFcKJmA93Okr0AjS6pJ0B5E/s1600/IMAG0439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn0mS-tQjwN5jB9XcA6E7Lab9Wp96kB4TUTJZMEXfFajkACPlH_Qk5dvLSW-mf6Xuee6-I-J-Tr0tMjCMOeDgc_pfQukVU2swEzxbIgzcPo7lKGSGDlSGmFcKJmA93Okr0AjS6pJ0B5E/s320/IMAG0439.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> After the soup boils, cover and reduce the heat to simmer the mixture for-ever. Forever being two or three hours. I think I was happy with the cooked yet firmness of my beans after about 2 and 1/2 hours. So when you think you'll need about a half hour more cooking time, add in your kale. Cook it for another 1/2 hour to soften the kale. I received commentary from soup eaters that it wasn't quite soft enough, so dependent on how soft you like your greens, maybe you'll need 45 minutes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRBVrdDfXb5OIasDzIwhg_4UfP2CAweertpN-cM1TnyHeN8-dxhsJVL8300pfksb4GZX1SokHiXOxhuejceTH7rH0WnW7tlr_b9JxSSFob3_VU18auAkM_ZL791Zzenj0JSt2Ne1vhrk/s1600/IMAG0447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRBVrdDfXb5OIasDzIwhg_4UfP2CAweertpN-cM1TnyHeN8-dxhsJVL8300pfksb4GZX1SokHiXOxhuejceTH7rH0WnW7tlr_b9JxSSFob3_VU18auAkM_ZL791Zzenj0JSt2Ne1vhrk/s320/IMAG0447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> At the very end of the cooking add in about a teaspoon and a half of balsamic vinegar, a few shakes of Tabasco, dependent on your vinegar-y, spicy desires, a heaping packed teaspoon of brown sugar, and salt and pepper to your taste. By the way, do you have a pepper grinder? If not, promptly go out and get yourself one! No cook should be using black pepper out of a jar. Feel free to play around with these suggestions to your taste, as all they're all doing is finishing (brightening, spicing up, sweetening) the soup. The recipe suggested using a smoked salt at the end too, so I threw in a little smoked sea salt. I didn't notice it, but have at it if you have the desire. Eat with delicious crusty bread, butter, beer, and friends.<br />
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Hope to send more posts out in 2011 - Here's to a new year. -TTrishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-48800508187970833812010-11-22T21:16:00.000-08:002010-11-22T21:16:10.158-08:00Dinner doesn't have to be difficult : Cheddar Grits in twenty minutes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRcj67ukg_0uTP2iJCmMn4XHqnaBaRel5YGRbtVun0U5FCd1WnVvZKyFgKPAeR9oTZAN_f4FzIvRH378D1Wpvr48TPCmrl1ebIvs6x2qxSUY5-dprNXHR0V44ia7GxhpFduSFONH6g5Q/s1600/big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRcj67ukg_0uTP2iJCmMn4XHqnaBaRel5YGRbtVun0U5FCd1WnVvZKyFgKPAeR9oTZAN_f4FzIvRH378D1Wpvr48TPCmrl1ebIvs6x2qxSUY5-dprNXHR0V44ia7GxhpFduSFONH6g5Q/s400/big.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There are evenings when I am tired, so tired, but want something delicious for dinner, homey and warm. This is where cheddar grits come in - specifically white cheddar grits with butter and scallions, a simple, easy dish I can make in twenty minutes. This recipe originates with <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/cheddar-scallion-grits-10000001192037/index.html">Real Simple</a>, and it calls for white grits, but yellow grits (aka polenta) work just as well. I know that because tonight I couldn't find white grits, and I went with the yellow grits I had in my cabinet. This will make between two and four servings, depending on who you're feeding. I can eat this twice or three times before it's gone, and if you know me, you know what a thing that is. I'm not much for leftovers, but these are the kind of leftovers I want the next day. I might have these leftovers tomorrow morning for breakfast, with an egg on top ... heaven. Oh, the other great thing about this recipe, it's pretty darn cheap. Three ingredients you may not have in your arsenal already, and three you very likely do, costing less than $10 total. Yes.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On your way home from work grab some sharp white cheddar, scallions, and corn grits (white or yellow). If you don't have salt, pepper, and butter at home (but if you read this blog surely you do), get those items too. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cheddar Grits for a speedy, filling, warm from the cold (and possibly snow!) dinner. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Get out a one cup measuring cup. A whisk. A cheese grater. A knife and cutting board. And, a pan that holds at least eight cups. Put that on the stove, with four and 1/4 cups of water in it. Bring it to a boil, then add a teaspoon and a half of salt. I just pour it into my palm until I have a little mound, then I throw it in. While that water is coming to a boil, measure yourself out one cup of grits. When you've got salty boiling water, pour in the grits slowly, whisking all the while. Reduce the heat to low, or one or two on the electric stove, and whisk occasionally while you grate one cup of the white cheddar, slice up two or three scallions, and cut a pat of butter into four squares. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7aTAz0PZeNBYl8yAUmOhWP9_9j25-5K-qHOoenjsbhirYK_l6kxr0AOINFH0-VqEoYJLRmqneTt84F7e5jlpMt4uisgFl8ttSjMYzEx7w6_EgfB-pGIRyJCrPxYAn7jnH7cJbibUyO0/s1600/IMAG0467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7aTAz0PZeNBYl8yAUmOhWP9_9j25-5K-qHOoenjsbhirYK_l6kxr0AOINFH0-VqEoYJLRmqneTt84F7e5jlpMt4uisgFl8ttSjMYzEx7w6_EgfB-pGIRyJCrPxYAn7jnH7cJbibUyO0/s320/IMAG0467.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFA0ZLJ7PzwkZUlxvjCaf48SxNQBVYS67lAZXit6uKWsuXanH8XmjIRKegIrQknr34Cc5X1ZNABd3sG_UsLkbasKu6RW1gqp_1-9FJYhATb62qirr8MweXefeCQs6nIqS8zuUrUEFVFs/s1600/IMAG0468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFA0ZLJ7PzwkZUlxvjCaf48SxNQBVYS67lAZXit6uKWsuXanH8XmjIRKegIrQknr34Cc5X1ZNABd3sG_UsLkbasKu6RW1gqp_1-9FJYhATb62qirr8MweXefeCQs6nIqS8zuUrUEFVFs/s320/IMAG0468.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Whisk occasionally for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the grits are cooked - if there's not too much water in the pan, they'll start to pull away and look thick when they're finished. This particular batch I made had a tad too much water, which was no serious issue, just made for less chewing, great if you're tired! </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stir in the cheese, and ladle into bowls. On each bowl, sprinkle sliced scallions, as much as you like, add a couple tiny butter squares, pepper mill it up as much as you want, and enjoy. This meal is so simple, filling, and delicious. And again, breakfast leftovers! --T</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-29525705344978367712010-11-08T22:13:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:13:20.800-08:00Mozzarella: a cheese story<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few Saturdays ago, my friend Nicole and I set out to make cheese. About two hours into the process we realized we had chosen a recipe that would take very near to nine hours start to finish. We promptly abandoned the 180 degree milk, and agreed to try again the following week with a speedier recipe. And so, a couple Saturdays ago, I returned to Nicole's house with six quarts of whole non-homogenized milk from the Noris Dairy, to begin again. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXqWFnOz4evLBLgdeZU1fTnCv6SQzWe5Ch-1QvmSs6nCpjigPp8Jq1sn-ok8BAV71QQAlUSH1CLaYqgNO73yCf3SnhqLoaFjNjXfPWSJ57exzLZKjNsInn2IqndX5gaP_DVWafMHR_JM/s1600/IMAG0343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXqWFnOz4evLBLgdeZU1fTnCv6SQzWe5Ch-1QvmSs6nCpjigPp8Jq1sn-ok8BAV71QQAlUSH1CLaYqgNO73yCf3SnhqLoaFjNjXfPWSJ57exzLZKjNsInn2IqndX5gaP_DVWafMHR_JM/s320/IMAG0343.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Did you know that to make cheese it is preferable to use a non-homogenized milk? Neither did I, but yes, it's true. Apparently, the homogenization process blows apart the fat molecules, which is undesirable - this is how you get your milk in the store usually, as it won't separate. Non-homogenized milk will allow the cream to rise to the top, ideal for cheese-making. There are many books on this, in the SF range at your local academic library, should you want to read more. We did our reading in a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/200-Easy-Homemade-Cheese-Recipes/dp/0778802183/ref=pd_sim_b_2"><span id="btAsinTitle">200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes: From Cheddar and Brie to Butter and Yogurt</span></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle">.The recipe we worked with can be found on page 76. Our first process started with a cultured yeast starter, but our second process started with citric acid, a weak naturally occurring acid, which provides the bitterness in lemons and limes. It also makes milk curdle!</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuQ7zEu-U24KMQ50UV8sMDOQHK23UI8j2riZd1AUfVh8fVmzF-kpUBs3bnY_scya-IS9krit3b0EVQhX6j-uCoDkg5912Ktq5CTxaA4jsSXPIWdKy_AfvOcSj4-b7QBelEP4jTzBhjT4/s1600/IMAG0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuQ7zEu-U24KMQ50UV8sMDOQHK23UI8j2riZd1AUfVh8fVmzF-kpUBs3bnY_scya-IS9krit3b0EVQhX6j-uCoDkg5912Ktq5CTxaA4jsSXPIWdKy_AfvOcSj4-b7QBelEP4jTzBhjT4/s320/IMAG0347.jpg" width="191" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle">This is us pouring diluted citric acid powder into the milk. Once we did this, we brought the milk up to a balmy 88 degrees. Yes, cheese making is very precise and scientific. Then we removed it from the heat. We then added diluted calcium chloride and animal rennet to the milk and let it sit for quite a long time, almost an hour, to wait for the curd to form. Calcium chloride helps the curd to become more firm, and rennet (read everything you do or do not want to know about it <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1774/is-rennet-a-cheese-ingredient-made-from-calves-stomachs">here</a>) helps the curds form as well as to separate more readily from the whey.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdu50p5rYtxeRyeYt8tzlLR53A9nkJCkk4VKWA2Ej3J8HG4m608CbqWoBYEwuLsonLOEb150z-el5aiQ0ewcgN3EdmsQIw3OhCHgYuD_FKK_b6oPWgqvBRygwSqIWmq9vGON9QtaqVpQ/s1600/IMAG0349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdu50p5rYtxeRyeYt8tzlLR53A9nkJCkk4VKWA2Ej3J8HG4m608CbqWoBYEwuLsonLOEb150z-el5aiQ0ewcgN3EdmsQIw3OhCHgYuD_FKK_b6oPWgqvBRygwSqIWmq9vGON9QtaqVpQ/s200/IMAG0349.jpg" width="119" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBVnNeuPnA1PP0cp1RqC0vv27oPaOPYLV6MBxlWVFbKdy6TtvSbckrnWROrUIkTloMhIlk5Kq_8oN-OqcBHXljOeKpK8spRFirFC1l7nP0w6z-6yx05Q59gKZq9I__geBOyPiLoD4bdA/s1600/IMAG0350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBVnNeuPnA1PP0cp1RqC0vv27oPaOPYLV6MBxlWVFbKdy6TtvSbckrnWROrUIkTloMhIlk5Kq_8oN-OqcBHXljOeKpK8spRFirFC1l7nP0w6z-6yx05Q59gKZq9I__geBOyPiLoD4bdA/s200/IMAG0350.jpg" width="119" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You might be wondering where a person gets things like animal rennet and calcium chloride. I found ours at <a href="http://www.kookoolanfarms.com/">Kookoolan Farms</a>, in Yamhill, Oregon. That place is awesome. So anyway, after roughly an hour of biding our time, chit-chatting, and do other various things, we looked at our pot, and it appeared we had cheese curd.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwuYTR1S8acZwSr8oRzDDpHR-ifKtTvn0Kmf3xARq5pHc-A1EuamIlZj0gDeOVtYQUzqsY-dmtkwtzp5qxuAAEkqJsMk-bDHDsr_0Qwm5GFvkTosgjhS8Lh9pkhALiHioOlZDTKrN0LY/s1600/IMAG0351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwuYTR1S8acZwSr8oRzDDpHR-ifKtTvn0Kmf3xARq5pHc-A1EuamIlZj0gDeOVtYQUzqsY-dmtkwtzp5qxuAAEkqJsMk-bDHDsr_0Qwm5GFvkTosgjhS8Lh9pkhALiHioOlZDTKrN0LY/s200/IMAG0351.jpg" width="118" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi092SpgzbMFrHK6-hXLbPw-ocRVCdWEIyP_Rh4QIu6CsOAiKcLteML6FrHUgduWgfXNoQVnSaYna2ZwpurZvDTNHneqVXq8P95lE7I3SF0n1kw0CPVFWOhcy0zS3g2977T9IcGSSogjZ4/s1600/IMAG0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi092SpgzbMFrHK6-hXLbPw-ocRVCdWEIyP_Rh4QIu6CsOAiKcLteML6FrHUgduWgfXNoQVnSaYna2ZwpurZvDTNHneqVXq8P95lE7I3SF0n1kw0CPVFWOhcy0zS3g2977T9IcGSSogjZ4/s200/IMAG0352.jpg" width="119" /></a></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDN0g1UGUDYjjeIX-kgEIiV7nzIf9lg3SZxZC7ety3FGIQZVJMoeaFn6wcfRg4KLp6z9-kKyuuYFRa0LHEmkt_IYySbb4zqrXXvlC9hAusI0chDbvPi52CV1tJb_HI49dns7ZTpVkYVs/s1600/IMAG0355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDN0g1UGUDYjjeIX-kgEIiV7nzIf9lg3SZxZC7ety3FGIQZVJMoeaFn6wcfRg4KLp6z9-kKyuuYFRa0LHEmkt_IYySbb4zqrXXvlC9hAusI0chDbvPi52CV1tJb_HI49dns7ZTpVkYVs/s320/IMAG0355.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We were to wait to cut the curds until we achieved a "clean break", or the ability to slice through the curd and have it stay separated. We cut it lengthwise, width wise, and then rather haphazardly, crosswise to the bottom of the pan. We waited five minutes, and the curds became very separated from the whey. They seemed soft, but not too soft. We brought the curds to 106 degrees over the course of twenty minutes, stirring constantly ... cheese making is rather exacting ... and after bringing them to temperature, we turned off the heat and let them sit for another twenty minutes, while once again stirring constantly. It got kind of ridiculous after a while. Then, finally, five minutes of just sitting. We rested our arms. Following the stirfest, we drained the curds from the whey.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSnfbRMRhyh8QjUKGYHr42CMST0iH3hQ1Ck5z7wkgKHQ4NC7aJF2dhvWKQPwccjKDKVR8WgYeBms_rwjt5VtkjjcoxknuMyDXchy9_XCyWvcNXSR-b3Qoa6QUx648h49dkd1SCYt1Lmw/s1600/IMAG0358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSnfbRMRhyh8QjUKGYHr42CMST0iH3hQ1Ck5z7wkgKHQ4NC7aJF2dhvWKQPwccjKDKVR8WgYeBms_rwjt5VtkjjcoxknuMyDXchy9_XCyWvcNXSR-b3Qoa6QUx648h49dkd1SCYt1Lmw/s200/IMAG0358.jpg" width="119" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WuGTkHZ0GmadvDw9ZRJKLyukiig1bJrZ6t3JfpK6otDVXlMkyaAZ7gR3FOdAooDT2CaIssWJZjWD82ZrP7JxmEbB8eH_J7Ae-53xSJhoR4qmnmKlt0SPPYf3GAj0yV3zlt3epfeqKC4/s1600/IMAG0360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WuGTkHZ0GmadvDw9ZRJKLyukiig1bJrZ6t3JfpK6otDVXlMkyaAZ7gR3FOdAooDT2CaIssWJZjWD82ZrP7JxmEbB8eH_J7Ae-53xSJhoR4qmnmKlt0SPPYf3GAj0yV3zlt3epfeqKC4/s200/IMAG0360.jpg" width="119" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We thought things were looking good! Don't those curds look good? So we let the curds drain, then pressed them into the cheesecloth to make a large mass, which we were supposed to cut then stretch in a hot salt water solution we made. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0CdqnpnJIpFqUoqP4evF3iOgO8uF9_ZpORc1JRxlkAfiqMYXS8ko2MLhWRBWbcivQX-99qLAIxtLHWgkfz6Ud8vbQu18sLAfi85MDbB0kMLoTRldD_TtOjGxwOnU1Qtq2SlZ3COddSk/s1600/IMAG0363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0CdqnpnJIpFqUoqP4evF3iOgO8uF9_ZpORc1JRxlkAfiqMYXS8ko2MLhWRBWbcivQX-99qLAIxtLHWgkfz6Ud8vbQu18sLAfi85MDbB0kMLoTRldD_TtOjGxwOnU1Qtq2SlZ3COddSk/s320/IMAG0363.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XLSAhPz-J23UDyiPSqsThytwn7lH0SAdAsZmZSU3wv6Pm3rQKTJR2oa7D39E9OV6h_8bNSZZL87NLTyCXpHQ3Mwd1qfJJemFfxaDhrqKtCEZCDlAvGgxexoCTk-9wxqdM19EGPswGk8/s1600/IMAG0365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XLSAhPz-J23UDyiPSqsThytwn7lH0SAdAsZmZSU3wv6Pm3rQKTJR2oa7D39E9OV6h_8bNSZZL87NLTyCXpHQ3Mwd1qfJJemFfxaDhrqKtCEZCDlAvGgxexoCTk-9wxqdM19EGPswGk8/s320/IMAG0365.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sadly, that's the last picture I have. Because following this, we attempted to stretch the cheese in the (searingly hot) salt water solution, and it wouldn't stretch. Nope, it just felt apart. We learned, far too late, we should have tested the pH, that we needed it more acidic to stretch properly. The troubleshooting section noted that we might try again after a day of leaving the cheese in the fridge, but quite unfortunately, the next day we both had a mass of something that was hard as a rock, and probably dangerous if thrown. So, there was no trying the stretching again, as we are not bodybuilders. So alas, a failed cheese making attempt, it was. However, this was a great learning experience ... Nicole and I are both skilled cooks and bakers, but we just didn't have a large enough body of knowledge about the science of cheese to make it work the first time. So, lesson learned: you don't always get it right the first time around, but the idea of making our own cheese is too cool to abandon. So, we'll try again. Soon. And we'll get it right next time. Promise. We might even take a class. --T</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-11970789885905131562010-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:002010-07-25T20:41:26.459-07:00Tuco's treats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimw9dXSlvj3styB1v0RoHyF_EY1oBnKzelcAZCblDkWNkZIfXV6KMe6gAxiLlWdrUkzHxX15u2RslSRRIqjl06HnaOkjoWSHTgP3trdpO4OM3zP3N41wcnXJoJUDtQmoVY4SSF-6_5IUQ/s1600/tuco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimw9dXSlvj3styB1v0RoHyF_EY1oBnKzelcAZCblDkWNkZIfXV6KMe6gAxiLlWdrUkzHxX15u2RslSRRIqjl06HnaOkjoWSHTgP3trdpO4OM3zP3N41wcnXJoJUDtQmoVY4SSF-6_5IUQ/s320/tuco.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Tuco left us late on Saturday night. Tuco loved me so well that when my mom came to visit he got in between us to protect me and wouldn't leave my side. He was steadfast in his protection, his care. It is a gift to be loved in such an uncomplicated way, and that is how Tuco loved us all. Especially Alex. He loved Kristen, Paul, Matt, and so many other friends, and we all loved him. Just by being himself he brought us all great joy. We were lucky to know him. He loved these peanut butter treats I made him. I would roll them out and cut them in the shape of a heart. Why not, in honor of Tuco, make these treats for your friends' dogs, or your own. I promise they will love them too. Tuco, you are greatly missed. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 cups whole wheat flour</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 cup oatmeal</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 cup plain peanut butter (no sugar, no salt)</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 egg</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/4 cup vegetable oil</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 cup water</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
In a big bowl, mix all ingredients together, and pat out onto a surface, about 1/2" to an inch thick. Cut into heart or other dog loving shapes and place on a cookie sheet - they can be close, because they won't spread. Bake at 350, 20 minutes on one side, then flip and bake 20 minutes on the other side. Remove from the oven and let cool a few hours or even overnight. Wrap them up and take them to the dog you love. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rest in peace Tuco. I hope your loving soul makes it way into another puppy, so someone else gets to experience the love that is you. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-19290857187302859622010-06-14T22:01:00.000-07:002010-06-14T22:01:55.372-07:00Summer is Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqyIqUMlJOpSDDglSAoaYNCvZNBtwuPdyg07nYy2_C-B-wPLngSiXY4wE7gCWZfYn_z4hB3dofIbkunmMnem0k6sUQa3GJ4J8lCZnM1jAErEyf9zK7NNtF_r3N2x0D3zgX2IgXelH9pY/s1600/DSCN7258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqyIqUMlJOpSDDglSAoaYNCvZNBtwuPdyg07nYy2_C-B-wPLngSiXY4wE7gCWZfYn_z4hB3dofIbkunmMnem0k6sUQa3GJ4J8lCZnM1jAErEyf9zK7NNtF_r3N2x0D3zgX2IgXelH9pY/s320/DSCN7258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I know this because the grape tomatoes taste so sweet. I cannot wait to pull them off the vine. I think there are grape tomatoes planted this year; I hope. Grape tomatoes are versatile. They can be eaten raw, be roasted, sauteed, fried ... well, I guess all tomatoes ... but yum, grape tomatoes. I just had an idea about battering and frying grape tomatoes - I just might try it - sort of like tempura, with tomatoes. Who's with me on that deliciousness? Anyway, in this case, they are sauteed in oil and smashed, for an incredibly easy meal which is perfect for late late spring, nearly summer. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The origin of this recipe comes from Real Simple, many years ago. I like it because it requires no real measurement, is very easy, and is good for an entry level cook or a learned chef. I make this recipe for one or two people. Double-ish it if you are feeding more. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From your pantry: olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Buy: one pint grape tomatoes, long skinny pasta like angel hair or thin spaghetti, which let's face it, is pretty much angel hair, basil, and possibly some grana padano (possibly my very favorite hard cheese) if you're up for it, it works well on top but isn't crucial</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This dish takes literally 8 minutes to prepare, plus the 10 minutes to wait for the water to boil. Dinner in 18 minutes people. I love dinner in 18 minutes. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Start your water. Salt it. Cover it. Let it come to a boil. In the meantime, grab a couple / few cloves of garlic depending on your garlic flavor preference and slice thinly into discs. Wash your tomatoes in a colander. Use this colander later to drain your pasta. Wash your basil, and dry it between a couple paper towels. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFfvVBPuecIZK_1Tiy_SHdPSO8kqKM_Sy35n1HNi510XLBmlrNSDqXIRkIdVUsYLmyxAMB-gQ-0ad-duyaJr7rxJQVGQKoUq_FcIj18dltK9yBQei61hef-SmOj8j9ni1kuHt1Wz0LCM/s1600/DSCN7247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFfvVBPuecIZK_1Tiy_SHdPSO8kqKM_Sy35n1HNi510XLBmlrNSDqXIRkIdVUsYLmyxAMB-gQ-0ad-duyaJr7rxJQVGQKoUq_FcIj18dltK9yBQei61hef-SmOj8j9ni1kuHt1Wz0LCM/s200/DSCN7247.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71zFpWTK91WSkkmtTDA8GhFgRkJIEU3L9krM01XPaZPNGxpRkTf3E0qPyYazxiixM2veX3vqVNrR1_HQFbuyb_b42ZvXZHzXKTzCwLIGYw3bvftr61_S1AqdFBqieScZRlpKq1YWM_cs/s1600/DSCN7252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71zFpWTK91WSkkmtTDA8GhFgRkJIEU3L9krM01XPaZPNGxpRkTf3E0qPyYazxiixM2veX3vqVNrR1_HQFbuyb_b42ZvXZHzXKTzCwLIGYw3bvftr61_S1AqdFBqieScZRlpKq1YWM_cs/s200/DSCN7252.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A few minutes before your water boils, pour some, and by some I mean enough to heavily cover the bottom, olive oil into a saute pan. Heat this over medium heat - about 5 or 6 on an electric stove. While that's warming up, add your pasta into the pan and set your timer. When the oil is heated, add the tomatoes. They're going to sizzle, snap, and otherwise make you believe those crazy kids are setting off fireworks in the neighborhood again, but fear not! It's just the watery tomatoes getting all hot and bothered and popping. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0_cLyGsoduUPuUmophhzW6vo0TpyHdBRl87z_i2GrcBhKL_KHvwDvKK0o44bRAC7c2EN_mdSiUbAkUwuDwLKDdNmY0NfHloPc_p0NJAv9hG64jPNpZgb25MiDDI5m1nLskKMGM2KYaI/s1600/DSCN7246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0_cLyGsoduUPuUmophhzW6vo0TpyHdBRl87z_i2GrcBhKL_KHvwDvKK0o44bRAC7c2EN_mdSiUbAkUwuDwLKDdNmY0NfHloPc_p0NJAv9hG64jPNpZgb25MiDDI5m1nLskKMGM2KYaI/s320/DSCN7246.JPG" width="320" />\</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Give your pan a swirl to keep them moving, which will also prevent them from popping and simultaneously leaping out of the pan. It happened to me, look in the picture, I'm not lying. Once you start hearing them pop, grab a metal spatula and start smashing them. This is fun, kind of like bubble wrap, but with tomatoes. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At this point, your pasta probably has a minute or two left. Reduce the heat to 1 or 2 (low), and add in the sliced garlic. Also throw in a pinch of kosher salt (maybe half a teaspoon or so) and a few turns of your pepper mill. Give it a stir and let it come together. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlPXn-YP3luKyjwEr56QBuZy-UcYnwlCIf2SWEaxglHlo8MQxfrGcXPINFqndGi5Yhkfn6iYGqIKx9XRsUL_QN2EF4BbA19bfnLLfaliv3jSa4tDzrAi3GL7d4CANxvCzNoJcZwxbGzw/s1600/DSCN7254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlPXn-YP3luKyjwEr56QBuZy-UcYnwlCIf2SWEaxglHlo8MQxfrGcXPINFqndGi5Yhkfn6iYGqIKx9XRsUL_QN2EF4BbA19bfnLLfaliv3jSa4tDzrAi3GL7d4CANxvCzNoJcZwxbGzw/s320/DSCN7254.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now drain your pasta and put it in a pasta bowl or other serving dish. I really like pasta bowls though - bought four this year for the first time, and it's quite the improvement, especially for serving very saucy pasta dishes, which this one definitely is. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB63DOCHHro9mcvcfxHQ3MX0z5hcgmZvLPLiUJbsLVEZtNu1gf_wQtXWQHj47wFKNN1VtGqpFtTYX1bzWrsCFYnvt3Xq9rp8U-iBcjIIrCV8hX04rhMMaAdK0x45DPBpaDSJ049-Zkz60/s1600/DSCN7255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB63DOCHHro9mcvcfxHQ3MX0z5hcgmZvLPLiUJbsLVEZtNu1gf_wQtXWQHj47wFKNN1VtGqpFtTYX1bzWrsCFYnvt3Xq9rp8U-iBcjIIrCV8hX04rhMMaAdK0x45DPBpaDSJ049-Zkz60/s320/DSCN7255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finally, tear up maybe 6-10 leaves of basil into pieces (the perfection is in the imperfection), and stir them into the tomato sauce. Pour onto the pasta. If you're up for it, add some freshly grated grana padano, but maybe save that for a time when the tomatoes themselves are less superb. December, perhaps. I love the simplicity of ingredients but enormous flavor of this meal.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNicWa5Sh9kvQA65W8oGgN-Tgyg-a7rR-Le31hRAx1t1_h7ifWTaSdC_N7gHCeHbe07ONkMkUsTkY47_rOrZCaqMs7ViIKYy2b9oTUxAF1rAuYr0ECeeble_S12byLx8mZIFGwBqy-sF4/s1600/DSCN7256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNicWa5Sh9kvQA65W8oGgN-Tgyg-a7rR-Le31hRAx1t1_h7ifWTaSdC_N7gHCeHbe07ONkMkUsTkY47_rOrZCaqMs7ViIKYy2b9oTUxAF1rAuYr0ECeeble_S12byLx8mZIFGwBqy-sF4/s320/DSCN7256.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-49625545294397649222010-05-10T22:13:00.000-07:002010-05-10T22:14:25.839-07:00My chocolate chip cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1Y_84rznoNoEQwGth-YfRmbflQAav7IAnbko1V0XMkf8qxpwzsAft9YgcQEFFmGjI7C7S4mJje9KEqz23U1HJSo3D9EERyWxnae8fUQM-GSVrPHO4_lq_kmOfB8Aci40sjFXUtf4rjA/s1600/DSCN7167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1Y_84rznoNoEQwGth-YfRmbflQAav7IAnbko1V0XMkf8qxpwzsAft9YgcQEFFmGjI7C7S4mJje9KEqz23U1HJSo3D9EERyWxnae8fUQM-GSVrPHO4_lq_kmOfB8Aci40sjFXUtf4rjA/s320/DSCN7167.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are so many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, this one is mine. It's derivative, as I suspect many are, of the Tollhouse recipe. That recipe is a great place to start. Actually, if you have never adjusted a recipe before, I think this is the one I would start with. There are so many elements in the recipe which can be altered, which makes for fun (and often successful) experimentation. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">People love these cookies. I'm still seeking an elusive taste that I had once in a chocolate chip cookie in 1991 - seventh grade science class. I will never forget that mundane moment made forever memorable. That cookie had a rich molasses-y flavor to it that I haven't figured out yet - but I'm not finished trying. Here's where I'm at right now, a cookie that spreads a bit, is chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside edges.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate Chip Cookies</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ingredients are all standard: butter, white and brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour, baking soda, and salt. Plus, of course, chocolate chips. Buy these things. Get out your measuring cups and spoons, a large bowl, your hand mixer, a cookie sheet or two, and foil. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients, in order of adding to the bowl: </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two sticks butter (1 cup) - don't use margarine (does anyone these days?) or shortening. Yuck. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 cup packed brown sugar (freshness matters! old brown sugar is dried out brown sugar is dried out cookie blech. Sometimes, I use a mix of light and brown and sometimes I don't. Do whatever you wish.)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup white sugar<br />
1 and a 1/2 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (real vanilla people.)<br />
2 room temperature eggs. I don't know why room temperature, I just like them that way. I feel like they help my batter fluff up.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 rounded teaspoon baking soda. Why rounded? Baking soda is what causes browning / crisping in your cookie, and I like a cookie that's brown with an edge crispness. Ever baked cookies that were floury blahness? You left out the soda. I've done it, I'll admit it. It isn't pretty. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tsp salt - kosher salt, crushed a bit to make a finer flake. I think you can taste the salty delicious difference. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 and 1/4 scant (every measure should be less than the full cup, or just partially fill the 1/4 cup) cups all-purpose flour. Fluff up that flour with a whisk before measuring. Really, or else you'll have a seriously floury, heavy, gross like your aunt who can't cook cookie. (For the record, I have no aunts who can't cook that I know of.)<br />
A bag of your preferred chocolate chips. I tend to buy Tollhouse, but also like Trader Joe's and Ghiradelli. Those flavors all differ just slightly, but I think the melt is pretty much the same. Use what you like.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Preheat to 375.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now that butter you just bought? You want it soft, even almost melty. Why? Because melted butter causes spread, and to me, spread in a cookie is a grand thing. I don't suggest liquefying the butter, which might give you too much spread, but here's what I would do: leave the butter out for the afternoon to soften completely on its own, or put one stick in the microwave in its wrapper for 15 short seconds. It will be very soft, but not liquid. 30 seconds to liquefied, just so you know. The other stick you can soften just slightly, or also do the 15 second thing. The softer your butter, the more spread in your cookie. At least, that has been my experience.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboagaAhB1F9YWQEijcUAiW5qZFHHXaNgkGjUQV4GkB45vUkazufqi0buk2FeWuSHYOPLYBMb8q31dakvE40TerqfilzvTq3SUsETFxfV48gWumIduJRR56Nyuv09tBUo6-v4Hzem-Kak/s1600/DSCN7126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboagaAhB1F9YWQEijcUAiW5qZFHHXaNgkGjUQV4GkB45vUkazufqi0buk2FeWuSHYOPLYBMb8q31dakvE40TerqfilzvTq3SUsETFxfV48gWumIduJRR56Nyuv09tBUo6-v4Hzem-Kak/s320/DSCN7126.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Throw that soft butter in your bowl and beat it with your mixer for a bit on a medium high speed. Add in your brown sugar and beat the heck out of it. Then add your white sugar and beat it again. Use a spatula to get the unincorporated ingredients off the side of the bowl (do this with the mixer off). </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwkpar3rqu3AXAmJc6IonyjXwOpb1Y7H7H_8G9TPnqIxCImawiUaGNQWxpFVi78g7zy_x2_jGdlfSw-H8ZEwETFdtoit3n9svou7KWyDHbyZmmaw5dUMPlUpmQzBTvJDw2RfXXcrIACA/s1600/DSCN7129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwkpar3rqu3AXAmJc6IonyjXwOpb1Y7H7H_8G9TPnqIxCImawiUaGNQWxpFVi78g7zy_x2_jGdlfSw-H8ZEwETFdtoit3n9svou7KWyDHbyZmmaw5dUMPlUpmQzBTvJDw2RfXXcrIACA/s320/DSCN7129.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beat for quite some time, with love, because that matters. It really does. Any time I feel rushed and could care less about my cookie, it tastes like crap. Caring about what you're baking is half the battle to deliciousness. So, now you have a fluffy butter sugar mixture. Add your vanilla, blend. Add your eggs, and beat the heck out of it once again. I think the more you can aerate the batter the better, just like with a cake. Some might disagree, but I like lots of lightness in my cookie. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-ow483oFuoa5lteq_smfqNIr9E5NmVuTsFTYPLMopx5dJBqOQyYTiNjx1GcKstbHOTqea_FV8R-ta6K5PG_B6QAMwa-eD18hF9kuPtZS1Yy0Kf1UR7MvoG9ObiRCacc67f76HEkHc4M/s1600/DSCN7138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-ow483oFuoa5lteq_smfqNIr9E5NmVuTsFTYPLMopx5dJBqOQyYTiNjx1GcKstbHOTqea_FV8R-ta6K5PG_B6QAMwa-eD18hF9kuPtZS1Yy0Kf1UR7MvoG9ObiRCacc67f76HEkHc4M/s320/DSCN7138.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some people might tell you to sift your dry ingredients together before adding them to the batter, but I say no! Why bother? That's a lot of work that seems not entirely necessary. It is in some baking recipes, of course, but not with these cookies. So, having said that, add your baking soda and beat, add your salt and beat. Then, add your flour, one cup at a time, and beat. So, one cup flour, beat. One cup flour, beat. 1/4 cup flour, and you got it, beat. Make sure all your flour is off the bottom of the bowl and in the batter, you might want to employ your spatula at this point.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z65yHiA9lKmZbqgaGQ-E4JpQZVnKGT9ThagryMJ-5BJKKtHLmKc7P9K95eLASivDX72lRCLeelH_aSnJ_N-rULo38OY7Y-cbkC1KJZcQ_qtew7Hfk9n5uerOJOOYoqCvup6FqFZUcRY/s1600/DSCN7147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z65yHiA9lKmZbqgaGQ-E4JpQZVnKGT9ThagryMJ-5BJKKtHLmKc7P9K95eLASivDX72lRCLeelH_aSnJ_N-rULo38OY7Y-cbkC1KJZcQ_qtew7Hfk9n5uerOJOOYoqCvup6FqFZUcRY/s320/DSCN7147.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Notice the lovely subtle variations in these batter stages.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Put that mixer down at this point. Stir in your chocolate chips, then make sensible drops onto your cookie sheet. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaueLlaGnFkm5UB5BMacuPAJl_1TuzITAM4l9SIHcJyh_avsC_HaK0ByL-MXY23iNmh1boBbL3z0f7GrxDgTtAnWNsc6ztvqVBI_5c7e8VOrQ9gT-RWNTNyvpTqVuDkoBNalRk3beSyz0/s1600/DSCN7149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaueLlaGnFkm5UB5BMacuPAJl_1TuzITAM4l9SIHcJyh_avsC_HaK0ByL-MXY23iNmh1boBbL3z0f7GrxDgTtAnWNsc6ztvqVBI_5c7e8VOrQ9gT-RWNTNyvpTqVuDkoBNalRk3beSyz0/s320/DSCN7149.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5QoPME4vbcwTEOczVr_Q3Co_nFeyRqp83rn51ZzazcblKEQUjqqEEBB-X2f7SDHl3032GiSdJGXBnGyzYfeIynJBCg7ct2hhpL6EHowER1Q6KhvyE6iaB8eNv-ki28G4yPDWvuFavZw/s1600/DSCN7152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5QoPME4vbcwTEOczVr_Q3Co_nFeyRqp83rn51ZzazcblKEQUjqqEEBB-X2f7SDHl3032GiSdJGXBnGyzYfeIynJBCg7ct2hhpL6EHowER1Q6KhvyE6iaB8eNv-ki28G4yPDWvuFavZw/s320/DSCN7152.JPG" width="286" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the record, some people suggest refrigerating your batter overnight to allow the dough to achieve a richer flavor. I've done this and have not found it terribly different, but by all means, give it a shot and let me know how it goes! Bake those cookies at 375 for about 10 minutes 30 seconds (I find the first batch takes longer to bake than subsequent batches, but I reuse a hot baking sheet, so that's likely why) and when the cookies come out of the oven, promptly remove them with a thin spatula to foil, which you have laid out on your counter. I think this matters, I don't know why. I feel like I get a better bottom of my cookies by letting them cool on foil. Maybe there is science to this, but I am way too tired to look that up tonight. When they are cool, wrap in foil and distribute to friends and family. Hope you enjoy these, I always do. - T</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6G_tqcAgMiVsagngSQHFkuMAQcnO8o67vf4MyWt7VG-FypgUh_LkD1lns-dsGU0WE7EvvYMXb5VMeXm9enEdAsJQchgnUmohXps6idjSt0_YDdG48n7VHbXTz7RQ8zNJXNFubHqY9jIA/s1600/DSCN7156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6G_tqcAgMiVsagngSQHFkuMAQcnO8o67vf4MyWt7VG-FypgUh_LkD1lns-dsGU0WE7EvvYMXb5VMeXm9enEdAsJQchgnUmohXps6idjSt0_YDdG48n7VHbXTz7RQ8zNJXNFubHqY9jIA/s320/DSCN7156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7HLWDjEBVNNO4niGx-5K5tjHiiL3VM59KBECZRFPPrpviJgEjCLnk1W6qcPjxu6zmRmE_ixF-rU3Rf4OsZ1Pg7Xj5V5SeiLXrnOiFoCQz20lP3J2d_bGH3pd2uBMZN1Id-a9ogULS2g/s1600/DSCN7171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7HLWDjEBVNNO4niGx-5K5tjHiiL3VM59KBECZRFPPrpviJgEjCLnk1W6qcPjxu6zmRmE_ixF-rU3Rf4OsZ1Pg7Xj5V5SeiLXrnOiFoCQz20lP3J2d_bGH3pd2uBMZN1Id-a9ogULS2g/s320/DSCN7171.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-29228921608032355312010-04-27T22:42:00.000-07:002010-04-27T22:42:04.293-07:00Potato Leek Soup :: This is Simplicity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWi9IoNzobFV-4FKENFlbj3YwwEWbX4iQihn3WOu2TGYHD8u28vSMlRWmCzUHUSZVE3TPHN8DFyC5KUeQWB_h3k0TJqZEVbHWpAWYv_qmPMOOfxJXZJk6ib0hq9-xxrltqkclZyMK3xHw/s1600/DSCN7044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWi9IoNzobFV-4FKENFlbj3YwwEWbX4iQihn3WOu2TGYHD8u28vSMlRWmCzUHUSZVE3TPHN8DFyC5KUeQWB_h3k0TJqZEVbHWpAWYv_qmPMOOfxJXZJk6ib0hq9-xxrltqkclZyMK3xHw/s320/DSCN7044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The best thing about potato leek soup, besides its simplicity, is its malleability. You need only four ingredients, plus salt and pepper. Four ingredients! Those four ingredients can be added in different amounts to produce slightly different soups. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Get yourself to the store and purchase anywhere between five and eight leeks. Grab two (large) or three (medium) baking potatoes. Buy a box of chicken (or vegetable, if you're so inclined) broth - you'll need five or so cups, maybe a little more. You probably have butter, but if not, grab that too, preferably unsalted. I'm a fan of unsalted butter for all cooking and baking - for smearing on bread is a different story. For garnish, get a couple slices of bacon from the meat counter and some scallions from the vegetables area too.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Talk about easy: you need a sharp knife, potato peeler, long spoon, soup pot, and cutting board. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dice your leeks, white part only. Don't fret if you get a little of the greenish part, it won't hurt. I cut mine down the middle to create two half domes, then slice those again down the middle, then slice in half inch increments to make a large dice. Peel your potatoes and slice them thinly. They'll probably turn brownish from oxidation in the open air. <a href="http://www.parade.com/export/sites/default/food/knowledgebase/knowledge/vegetables/Why-Fruits-and-Vegetables-Turn-Brown.html">The browning is caused by oxidation; if you want your potatoes to stay white, put them under cold water</a>. They'll have to sit for a while anyway, so you might as well. While you've got the cutting board out, slice your scallions, and finally, dice your uncooked bacon. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
Melt between one and two tablespoons of butter in a large soup pot, over medium heat. Add your leeks and cook them, stirring them frequently, on medium until they are shiny and fairly translucent. It's very important to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">watch</span> them and stir them, because a browned leek is a burnt leek is a bad leek is a let's go buy some more leeks and start the soup over. So this leek saute will take about twenty minutes. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When your leeks are soft and shiny, add in about five cups of your chosen broth - for me, the choice will always be chicken. Then add in your potatoes. See, this is incredibly simple. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a high simmer (not crazy boiling, but some bubbles) and walk away for about a half hour. Actually, only walk away for about twenty minutes, because you want to cook your diced bacon at some point then remove it to a paper towel to drain. When you're done with that task, the potatoes should be soft and beginning to break up. At this point, salt and pepper to your liking. I like a lot of freshly ground pepper in my soup. I throw in a small <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">palmful</span> of salt - it's probably a teaspoon or so. You can always add more later if need be. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor (in batches! learn from my mistakes!) and process to your desired consistency. I like mine very smooth, but some people prefer a chunkier soup. You could probably use a potato masher and do this by hand if you wanted more texture. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Top with scallions and bacon and appreciate how something so simple can be so incredibly delicious.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9kD3Dupag_XNADs2wtbpu1aGN751jFY_CmKrXXRMVFSnQ1bqwu2xlVX8UUqA_OYxMtxmLClpvtBaeXH6EFvk5q53xhRJTDllq3ongT89CJkb-JAjamsjlodATCYAJwrrZQLW-d_l0I0/s1600/DSCN7047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9kD3Dupag_XNADs2wtbpu1aGN751jFY_CmKrXXRMVFSnQ1bqwu2xlVX8UUqA_OYxMtxmLClpvtBaeXH6EFvk5q53xhRJTDllq3ongT89CJkb-JAjamsjlodATCYAJwrrZQLW-d_l0I0/s320/DSCN7047.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-37340129005106962222010-03-30T22:26:00.000-07:002010-03-30T22:26:14.894-07:00Red Beans and Rice (It's gray, it's chilly, this is bright and spicy)<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGzvsqksuc3IeSgsKtpuYG52Wy7nx8McBSCqtxuwPXf49qqpf-L_huBPiOwF6AlIVcpzPmwd1GgxVYpBSB_yXAssOjDBDtJD0Ioam7YV50tzVWhrvgPgYyl-4tbtw6WM950bq5KwWhjY/s1600-h/DSCN7035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGzvsqksuc3IeSgsKtpuYG52Wy7nx8McBSCqtxuwPXf49qqpf-L_huBPiOwF6AlIVcpzPmwd1GgxVYpBSB_yXAssOjDBDtJD0Ioam7YV50tzVWhrvgPgYyl-4tbtw6WM950bq5KwWhjY/s320/DSCN7035.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's nearly the end of March, and though we had a week of very lovely and mild weather, more normal weather has resumed - blustery, rainy, and gray as can be. There is hardly a striation in the clouds, it's that gray. I don't know if I can use striation in that previous sentence, but I did anyway. Anyway, it's kind of depressing, but to cheer myself, I make things like red beans and rice. Some will look at this recipe and call me a blasphemer of the south because this recipe uses bacon instead of sausage or ham, but I really love it this way. Unfortunately, I have no idea where this recipe originates from, though my best guess is that it's from a newspaper in either Chicago or Greensboro. It's a recipe I've had for quite a while, and makes for a delicious, satiating meal. Even better, it improves with age, and you can eat the leftovers for two days straight, or rather I can eat the leftovers for two days straight, which is a personal record, as I generally tire quickly of the same anything.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a fairly simple meal to make, though there's a lot of prep work involved ... do it ahead of time and you can pretend you're a television chef, adding prepped bowls of this and that. Sadly, no sous chef is going to do the work for you, unless you have a helpful kid around, or a partner who owes you a favor.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You will need a large (4-6 quarts) heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, cutting board, knives, bowls for holding your chopped stuff, and a shot glass for measuring out your Tabasco. Believe me, it's much easier than trying to shake it into a measuring spoon.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_w1aY3thzzih9ZA4NaClpwA3CfYcZf1XaoIIG8SDia-9g68kdZ3xPTpTiDYQUOUdvzGIyiERXSR-ZWfwNvGd0EbMaQ7PQxD-P2bvGmjxsUDnvUia3xeNzfRsbycscUXoRi7KQMCtLsAA/s1600-h/DSCN6994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_w1aY3thzzih9ZA4NaClpwA3CfYcZf1XaoIIG8SDia-9g68kdZ3xPTpTiDYQUOUdvzGIyiERXSR-ZWfwNvGd0EbMaQ7PQxD-P2bvGmjxsUDnvUia3xeNzfRsbycscUXoRi7KQMCtLsAA/s320/DSCN6994.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Go to the grocery store and in the vegetable area, grab two small peppers, one red, one orange or yellow, or get fancy and get all three colors, but use half of one yellow and one orange with the red. Also buy one bunch of scallions (aka green onions), a large yellow onion, and a garlic bulb. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the meat counter, buy four slices of thick sliced bacon. You could buy a package of bacon and use that, but I really prefer the thickness here, plus I find the skinnier bacon more challenging to dice while raw. Don't go too lean on the bacon, the fattiness is a good thing for coating the rice. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You will also need two 15 ounce cans of red beans. Not kidney beans or chili beans, these are just called red beans, you'll find them in the bean section. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pantry staples you need are a cup of long grain rice, two cups of chicken broth (if you only have one can, which is just over 14 ounces, you could always use water for the last two ounces ... but I always use all broth - also, I always use low sodium broth from the store. I'm sure if you made your own that would taste super awesome, but who has time for that? At any rate, I figure I can always add salt later if I need to, but regular sodium broth might be too salty to begin with, at least for me.), Tabasco, and salt.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Really, I'm not kidding when I say prep before you get started. There are a lot of things to chop up:</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpM4yPcXwUs9QtF2ltxHXQLMOgT67vD2bg0i0VvSPsQ1BiZj2ocM2kjCjaeYajnx61dDELsXI-bVa42MEhHeRhF8YQnq31bIyjv775XnPpp_7-xiMGy7GNxdcOjADegJjd4RO1isPCBc/s1600-h/DSCN7010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpM4yPcXwUs9QtF2ltxHXQLMOgT67vD2bg0i0VvSPsQ1BiZj2ocM2kjCjaeYajnx61dDELsXI-bVa42MEhHeRhF8YQnq31bIyjv775XnPpp_7-xiMGy7GNxdcOjADegJjd4RO1isPCBc/s200/DSCN7010.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSf-VbJvxnClxa9pJfnT1mxbhVKpMLNfDtcEZXkBpFuSjd9aoDeAeVOm5otRKnghqtJt0OIqo3i057wMALcWAwWrVH8LSSkH6wDwzc4SUoRQw9akSJhy6T1eGywqiB35vPhJmEk_-qa4/s1600/DSCN6995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSf-VbJvxnClxa9pJfnT1mxbhVKpMLNfDtcEZXkBpFuSjd9aoDeAeVOm5otRKnghqtJt0OIqo3i057wMALcWAwWrVH8LSSkH6wDwzc4SUoRQw9akSJhy6T1eGywqiB35vPhJmEk_-qa4/s200/DSCN6995.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYV4z99t-sFdaUkNmq9paRCdSWUaqMxGrN8yzFOs5kXflRtdiifz4Nmw7cH24dDDqLxO3M8P5pf46NqtvjtcD_Ytb4Bt7RxsUpvBMquCgapSaP545W4Rnwx2VDDWFpGNoN-5uxr6Xkqs/s1600-h/DSCN7013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYV4z99t-sFdaUkNmq9paRCdSWUaqMxGrN8yzFOs5kXflRtdiifz4Nmw7cH24dDDqLxO3M8P5pf46NqtvjtcD_Ytb4Bt7RxsUpvBMquCgapSaP545W4Rnwx2VDDWFpGNoN-5uxr6Xkqs/s200/DSCN7013.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chop the two (or one and two halves) small peppers with a good kitchen knife; mine looks like of like <a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31pM1AYLahL._SL500_AA280_.jpg">this</a>. I like mine kind of large, but some people might prefer more of a dice. What's the difference you might ask? Read more<a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_5814472_dice-versus-chop-mince.html"> here</a>. I had a small pepper languishing in the fridge, so I chopped it up as well. Set aside in a bowl.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rinse your knife (do this before you chop anything new, and your cutting board too), chop your onion to the same shape, or smaller if you prefer. Set aside in a bowl.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Slice 1/4 cup's worth of green onions. I make the slices pretty skinny, about a 1/16 - 1/8 inch. Set aside, or put in the fridge, because you won't use these until the very end. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chop a clove of garlic (I use two, because I do love the garlic), and add it to the onion bowl.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, chop your four slices of bacon. I do this by stacking two pieces of bacon on top of each other, slicing lengthwise down the center, then chopping 1/2 inch pieces. You'll see why the thick cut bacon is the best, when you are suffering at the cutting board with your skinny bacon. Learn from my experience.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsLbEvZGXaG6Y1LeJV99XzrbDGH_PDG1wSpt_DBzHTu_Ao3Vxj31zXU6v-lQAA7_7_gA7OUoK1Icmq7Zb2yzeI6LdYDOkONvTnaC57KhanuX2Odc9XZMyNgNnvdDuQ_iSswOnDgFOGsY/s1600-h/DSCN7016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsLbEvZGXaG6Y1LeJV99XzrbDGH_PDG1wSpt_DBzHTu_Ao3Vxj31zXU6v-lQAA7_7_gA7OUoK1Icmq7Zb2yzeI6LdYDOkONvTnaC57KhanuX2Odc9XZMyNgNnvdDuQ_iSswOnDgFOGsY/s200/DSCN7016.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoPKrtbBRe7CcZIE-LYit-2efhIu8cPJlsSgR0a1zacuq_8DNH6M8J8t3f4LQHeQLCD3oaFZChvfOVBSnL33IYjoxwbAtxGEgVpnORurVrcqkFJLGwKKbliSShBfeP5jCLVXcoBMWyCE/s1600-h/DSCN7019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoPKrtbBRe7CcZIE-LYit-2efhIu8cPJlsSgR0a1zacuq_8DNH6M8J8t3f4LQHeQLCD3oaFZChvfOVBSnL33IYjoxwbAtxGEgVpnORurVrcqkFJLGwKKbliSShBfeP5jCLVXcoBMWyCE/s200/DSCN7019.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Measure one cup of long grain rice. Measure two cups of chicken broth into a pourable container. Shake a tablespoon of Tabasco into the shot glass. I'm pretty sure a Tbs is about half a normal sized shot glass. That's what I always use. You can always add more later. Just a note if you think it's not enough: I find that the next day, the rice has soaked up more of the Tabasco, and it tastes quite a bit spicier. Be forewarned, wimpy spice people. Measure 1/2 tsp salt and set aside. I use sea salt in this recipe.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjb_LsPAj_SG9ZuEb9fG_BY2HupunmNhynIWykt8vSryqwE09qwWZ2LdvmyBV7_ep3qcwACvOuu8AhNfPrpXLaBVhUUJStI7hAPibhggPeIwpvDaRZQFydAhlWbuoArZFfSpM_RcWynQ/s1600-h/DSCN7023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjb_LsPAj_SG9ZuEb9fG_BY2HupunmNhynIWykt8vSryqwE09qwWZ2LdvmyBV7_ep3qcwACvOuu8AhNfPrpXLaBVhUUJStI7hAPibhggPeIwpvDaRZQFydAhlWbuoArZFfSpM_RcWynQ/s200/DSCN7023.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, drain and rinse the beans in a colander.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I think you're ready to get cooking.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqamyR6FV3lGWgT7kgquoAcKk4TH7CvVrv8zmbFqFatfWMrDYNrN0MbWgAsA-KIkSmxTtYfaQTsLJVe2GGcLZiS0rCHuTOHFMG_Fwy6Z5PskBNANIXqAtv4gfysXCedUpsPYnnG72v5iA/s1600-h/DSCN7015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqamyR6FV3lGWgT7kgquoAcKk4TH7CvVrv8zmbFqFatfWMrDYNrN0MbWgAsA-KIkSmxTtYfaQTsLJVe2GGcLZiS0rCHuTOHFMG_Fwy6Z5PskBNANIXqAtv4gfysXCedUpsPYnnG72v5iA/s320/DSCN7015.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjsoueE8iTLXwvDCje29xsQwKM68dkBUXrI18UMX0WGw1YrcUQ-8lUFZcni63bU8va37XVXmrSbm-L3lkhBTyQKfklLewaYdGfjNwarcy9cPMg-uqnxnPj0QVgldtl20t0bNyaSV2LUI/s1600-h/DSCN7018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjsoueE8iTLXwvDCje29xsQwKM68dkBUXrI18UMX0WGw1YrcUQ-8lUFZcni63bU8va37XVXmrSbm-L3lkhBTyQKfklLewaYdGfjNwarcy9cPMg-uqnxnPj0QVgldtl20t0bNyaSV2LUI/s320/DSCN7018.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cook your diced bacon in the pot over medium-high heat (7ish on the electric stove) until it's crisp. As you probably know if you've ever cooked bacon, it will produce its own cooking oil - or grease, as some might say. Watch it and stir it now and again so the bacon doesn't stick. When it's brown and crisp, take the pot off the heat and remove the bacon a paper towel on a plate to drain. Use a slotted spoon or something with holes to do this, because you want to keep the grease in the pot. If it seems like a ton of grease, you might want to pour some into a jar. I guess I usually have about one tablespoon, maybe one and a half, of grease in the bottom of the pot after I remove the bacon.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQmTQDngNeNxzLtmN1y9f8tDNqRUEB26TO1-As9bvhV45amBtASa29DhbhD5s0-ahobwzDRnArcB4Uitimc40A1EywFqKgOH8C0lW2Pa8hR3Q1q903qNLtE3rFtxWF7UuX4-2R7IZiyE/s1600-h/DSCN7017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQmTQDngNeNxzLtmN1y9f8tDNqRUEB26TO1-As9bvhV45amBtASa29DhbhD5s0-ahobwzDRnArcB4Uitimc40A1EywFqKgOH8C0lW2Pa8hR3Q1q903qNLtE3rFtxWF7UuX4-2R7IZiyE/s320/DSCN7017.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Put the pot back on the medium (6-7 electric) heat, and add the onion and garlic. Cook this for five minutes and stir it often - you do not want your onions / garlic to brown - they'll be shiny from the grease, and that will be awesome. After five minutes, make sure your salt, broth and Tabasco are in reaching distance, then stir in the rice. Cook this for two minutes and stir CONSTANTLY, just like with risotto.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfRCLPetNvDh0IA61u2i-tCXBOs397Ns74vC3TW1Hto8BT0BgM464DjBJQzagD7wLRMbH9VpacuJPCYmy5ZTIyichjKc4zQtzOoKtUJDO1BeMcme-1o_VAT2YDfXgm4cHDCDOfaYYy6Q/s1600-h/DSCN7021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfRCLPetNvDh0IA61u2i-tCXBOs397Ns74vC3TW1Hto8BT0BgM464DjBJQzagD7wLRMbH9VpacuJPCYmy5ZTIyichjKc4zQtzOoKtUJDO1BeMcme-1o_VAT2YDfXgm4cHDCDOfaYYy6Q/s320/DSCN7021.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After two minutes, add the salt, broth, and Tabasco. Stir, then bring this to a boil over high heat (8-9 electric). When it comes to a full boil, reduce the heat to low (1-2-3 electric). Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. This is when your rice absorbs the broth.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sORdzeB9YYB4sJZCkf0cwD0NlHy_KP9IDS9qd6Rg0Yc8Zklsc2glc3mezd82rqhuXyHgtW1XMqlcJ6aK8m7_WhseEw3OZ8B3GDP2RkLp0OPpLp6Q46HH92fqNQCd_Zdp9wtmPBCE0Nw/s1600-h/DSCN7024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sORdzeB9YYB4sJZCkf0cwD0NlHy_KP9IDS9qd6Rg0Yc8Zklsc2glc3mezd82rqhuXyHgtW1XMqlcJ6aK8m7_WhseEw3OZ8B3GDP2RkLp0OPpLp6Q46HH92fqNQCd_Zdp9wtmPBCE0Nw/s320/DSCN7024.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the 15 or so minutes, take off the lid, and add in the peppers, beans, and bacon. Now you see why such a large pot is so important. Stir everything to combine, and cook another five or so minutes, until your rice is tender. I find I usually let it cook on low maybe 10 to 15 minutes, because I like the peppers to soften up a bit too.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGzvsqksuc3IeSgsKtpuYG52Wy7nx8McBSCqtxuwPXf49qqpf-L_huBPiOwF6AlIVcpzPmwd1GgxVYpBSB_yXAssOjDBDtJD0Ioam7YV50tzVWhrvgPgYyl-4tbtw6WM950bq5KwWhjY/s1600-h/DSCN7035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGzvsqksuc3IeSgsKtpuYG52Wy7nx8McBSCqtxuwPXf49qqpf-L_huBPiOwF6AlIVcpzPmwd1GgxVYpBSB_yXAssOjDBDtJD0Ioam7YV50tzVWhrvgPgYyl-4tbtw6WM950bq5KwWhjY/s320/DSCN7035.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Take off the heat, and stir in the scallions you previously chopped. Holy goodness. This is SO good. One of my favorites, and really very simple work to create something so delicious. Enjoy. Preferably with a beer.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu4JTMOII5cp_1AfSY80kqxkKYWzmTO1jB1ZcbR2vDZ1MyOXp6-JLqCCE4Zce5vWDdpACWwA-wOEXPFM91CVumpZnuTCRe-YvaaMrWrTtfWmHv5fCIZjbj_JNW3ooT2XV_XPvIg8jvYU/s1600-h/DSCN7033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu4JTMOII5cp_1AfSY80kqxkKYWzmTO1jB1ZcbR2vDZ1MyOXp6-JLqCCE4Zce5vWDdpACWwA-wOEXPFM91CVumpZnuTCRe-YvaaMrWrTtfWmHv5fCIZjbj_JNW3ooT2XV_XPvIg8jvYU/s320/DSCN7033.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hey, good news. The sun just came out. </span></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-44122245057250558422010-03-21T21:24:00.000-07:002010-03-21T21:26:21.390-07:00Granny's Sugar Cookies :: Simple, Humble, Perfect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFse8uikwg23QpEe-2-EbEHjERQWwN63FK6-wcFq0njJJgfX1pT0IPsO_AMdbVCbbJB6mUW6wzMJ6TSL-6fKqDkD8ZyRg2uQ85W69jlVZ2THaCpeU63INdSy6ZSZfEZPUD2wluPP8jaRo/s1600-h/IMG_1060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFse8uikwg23QpEe-2-EbEHjERQWwN63FK6-wcFq0njJJgfX1pT0IPsO_AMdbVCbbJB6mUW6wzMJ6TSL-6fKqDkD8ZyRg2uQ85W69jlVZ2THaCpeU63INdSy6ZSZfEZPUD2wluPP8jaRo/s320/IMG_1060.JPG" width="252" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The sugar cookie is a simple thing, there's not too much too it, and yet it is one of the most sweetly satisfying treats, when made right. When you want to make a sugar cookie right, Granny's recipe is the one, the only. This cookie is legendary in my family, my dad's very favorite. These cookies are also a great metaphor for my Granny, who died in early 2009 at 89 and a 1/2. 89 and a 1/2! We should all get such a life. Granny was one of the wisest, humble, loving people I have ever known. She lived her life with great simplicity and one of her sayings that I love, passed onto my dad and then onto me was "kill them with kindness." This is something I'm constantly trying to achieve - but I have many good models in my family for how it works. If you need to kill someone with kindness, you should bake them a batch of Granny's simple, humble, and perfect sugar cookies. Go ahead, see what happens. I bet it will be good.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Granny's Sugar Cookies </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happily for you, this recipe requires no unusual kitchen equipment except a rolling pin and cookie cutters. If you don't have a rolling pin, you could use a large can, though that might drive you slowly insane. You could definitely use an clean, empty can as a cookie cutter, if you don't own any traditional cutters. You will need a cookie sheet, but I'm pretty sure most people over eighteen own at least one, for bagel bites if nothing else. You can mix this dough by hand, as I'm sure my Granny did for many years</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">; however, a mixer will allow you to aerate the sugar and butter, which results in a far lighter, crisper cookie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is a pantry staple recipe, so long as you have ever baked a thing in your life. If not, you're probably not a reader of food blogs, but if you are indeed reading this and planning it for your first baked good ever, get yourself to the grocery store. You will need unsalted butter. It's important to use unsalted butter in baking, unless you want a salty cookie - this could work in certain situations, but it doesn't here. You will also need all purpose flour, white sugar, a large egg (did you know that all baking recipes use the large egg as a standard size? A recipe will call for a larger size, if its necessary. You will end up with a very different cookie if you use the wrong size egg. Maybe you always thought you were a terrible baker, but as it turns out, you've just been using medium eggs. Voila, begin anew.), milk (whole vs 1% vs skim makes a difference - I think skim is the milk of the devil, and I drink 1%, which usually ends up in my recipes, but I had some half and half in my fridge when I made these last week, and I used that with some 1% milk, and I was quite pleased. See what you like best.), baking powder (not soda!), and salt. I just learned something about salt from a friend: table salt, because it is such a small grain, is more soluble and incorporates more quickly and thus is less in your face, while kosher or sea salt is a larger flake and doesn't dissolve well, which makes for noticeable salty pockets in a cookie: this can be effective, as I found it to be in a citrus shortbread, but in this sugar cookie, I'd go with table salt. <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tastetests/overview.asp?docid=9842">Cooks Illustrated</a> can tell you even more about salt, should you be on the tip of your seat reading about the stuff. Actually, you could probably also read Mark Kurlansky's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Salt-World-History-Mark-Kurlansky/dp/0142001619">Salt</a>, though I haven't read it. Someone read it and let me know if I should. Oh, and you need powdered sugar, but we'll get to that later.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okay, sugar cookies! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This recipe is weird about its butter. 2/3 cup. Why is that weird? How many of you cut your butter based on the numbers on the wrapper? Ever noticed that 1/3 cup of butter is 5 and 1/3 tablespoon? Bringing it back to 4th grade fractions, you can't get 2/3 cup out of one stick of butter. So you must use one stick of butter plus 2 and 2/3 Tablespoons of butter from another stick. Or at this point, you could decide to double the recipe, which would make your butter halving much easier. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2/3 cup butter + 3/4 cup white sugar go into a mixing bowl. Beat it, beat it, and beat it some more, on a medium or medium high speed. Start on a low medium speed though, otherwise you will have butter bits all over your kitchen. If you're familiar with how long you aerate butter and sugar for a cake, think that way, and if not, just mix until it almost looks whipped. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beat one large egg, one teaspoon of vanilla, and four teaspoons of milk into this mixture. Think light and fluffy thoughts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In another bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Pro-tip: whip your flour in its container or bag with a whisk to lighten it up before measuring. When you dip your cup into the flour, don't pack it in, and level it off with the back side of a knife, you want the light touch with flour measurements, otherwise you're going to get a dense, overly floury cookie. Add two cups flour, one and a half (1&1/2) teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk these together, then add to the rest of the ingredients. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Incorporate the flour mixture with a spoon, then once it's slightly blended, use your mixer on low-medium to combine the wet and dry completely, or just finish this step all by hand. Don't over mix here, but make sure all the flour is mixed in. I usually mix for about fifteen seconds, turn off the mixer, use a spatula to turn over the dough and get all the flour off the bottom of the bowl, then mix it for another fifteen or so seconds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dough is done and delicious, but soft! Stick it in the fridge for about an hour, covered, to stiffen up a bit. It will still be sticky when you take it out, but you'll remedy that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the meantime, prep your work area. Clean a counter top space, or tape down parchment or lay out foil, whatever works for you. Mix equal parts flour and powdered sugar in a bowl. I never measure this, I just eyeball it. Sprinkle a lot of this mixture over your workspace, and make sure it covers the surface completely - nothing will annoy you more than rolling out your dough and cutting your cookies just to find you can't lift them off the work surface onto the cookie sheet, because they are stuck to the counter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When your dough is chilled, scrape a hunk of it out of the bowl, put it on your work surface, lightly pat the flour / sugar mixture all over it, then roll it out into a thin (maybe 1/4" thick or even slightly thinner if you can) circle-ish shape. Cut out your shapes. Use a spatula to get under your cookie and move it to the cookie sheet. Sometimes this is challenging. Deep breaths. It might help you to pull the unused dough off the shapes first. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Put your cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. I always find they take eight minutes, if you want that light brown edge, which you most definitely do. Remove them to a cooling rack with a very skinny metal spatula. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Enjoy. They are amazing. Thanks Granny, for helping people like me everywhere kill with the kindness of perfectly simple sugar cookies. You were a great lady, thanks for leaving stuff like this to help us keep your spirit alive. </span><br />
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</span>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-53244145167281619882010-02-21T23:13:00.000-08:002010-02-21T23:17:10.735-08:00Sausage (the one you've been waiting for)<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
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Looks good, right? I hope this post does not turn out to be the pinnacle of the blog, since it's only post number five, but it's entirely possible, considering the clamoring from friends near and far for me to get this up. Sausage. Sausage, sausage, sausage. Alex thought we should make some sausages. I was pleased about this, as I was planning to give him the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-FGA-Grinder-Attachment-Mixers/dp/B00004SGFH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1266816616&sr=8-1">KitchenAid food grinder</a> attachment as a Valentine's present, because who doesn't equate food grinding with love? He then said, I think we should make them for the Super Bowl party, and I thought, well, I can't withhold the food grinder until the day of love (isn't every day a day of love, really?), and so we went to get it together. He purchased another attachment, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-SSA-Sausage-Stuffer-Attachment/dp/B00004SGFQ/ref=pd_sim_k_1">sausage stuffer-helper thing</a> (pretty sure that's its actual name), and we were all set on crucial kitchenware. We had each been searching the internets for sausage recipes and were not coming up with much. Having used the <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266803256&sr=1-1">Charcuterie</a> </i>books a couple weeks prior for the mustard making fest, we again drew upon it for inspiration, and this time found a chicken tomato basil sausage. Having had little luck online, I went for a browse in cookery - sausages at the <a href="http://multcolib.org/">public library</a>, where I found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Aidellss-Complete-Sausage-Book/dp/1580081592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266802999&sr=8-1"><i>Bruce Aidell's Complete Sausage Book</i></a>. </span><span style="font-size: small;">This title gave us our pork sausage recipes: a sweet Italian sausage (which, by the way, repurposed itself nicely as pizza sausage for last night's dinner), and a bratwurst straight out of Wisconsin. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start (thanks, Fraulein Maria)</span><span style="font-size: small;">. Crucial kitchen items: You will need a food grinder of some type (I'm referencing the KitchenAid mixer attachment throughout this post), the sausage stuffer if you plan to encase your sausages, lots of little and large bowls for prep, some 409 or other bacterial killer for the germ fest you're about to create, saran wrap, and if you're a germaphobe like myself (hey, I once poisoned my entire family with chicken), food safe disposable gloves. I love them. Oh, and also two people, because there is pretty much no way you could do this successfully without a partner.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you're going to make all three sausages (but let's face it, who spends five hours making sausage on a Saturday besides us), you're going to want to find a good butcher for your meat needs, because they will be diverse. We purchased our meats at <a href="http://www.gartnersmeats.com/">Gartner's</a>, a super-friendly, enormous butcher shop up on Killingsworth. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtck2lXKvpMa6v29hkvmGBng5nMaW_rBAYPNAc-UfOnvDuHGSD6KF0C_MQSIA4tMy-z_1FbHd3HVjs-emAoGUEDYP5geIoih7qr_L9beBKpeG1f8UDtd-NKPUoEcGnrCWBZdQlOmGgyNI/s1600-h/IMG_0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtck2lXKvpMa6v29hkvmGBng5nMaW_rBAYPNAc-UfOnvDuHGSD6KF0C_MQSIA4tMy-z_1FbHd3HVjs-emAoGUEDYP5geIoih7qr_L9beBKpeG1f8UDtd-NKPUoEcGnrCWBZdQlOmGgyNI/s200/IMG_0883.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVJDRGsulIBN65r563Ct643vszU5k78OLCKrXVY4-dr4GWqZtw3RBMQWkui9weOT20B6qMGp9dVLhNjIHQxqsNAHZyiV1R4TDiTduZ0f4XtCEs-eqlJJ5fvAQc1xBpvfURt7WZwNwiO4/s1600-h/IMG_0878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVJDRGsulIBN65r563Ct643vszU5k78OLCKrXVY4-dr4GWqZtw3RBMQWkui9weOT20B6qMGp9dVLhNjIHQxqsNAHZyiV1R4TDiTduZ0f4XtCEs-eqlJJ5fvAQc1xBpvfURt7WZwNwiO4/s200/IMG_0878.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's what you should get at said shop:</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4.5 lbs pork butt : before putting through the grinder, cube this </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 lb veal shoulder (they only had pre-ground veal, but it worked just fine)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.75 lbs pork back fat (mmm mmm good) : </span><span style="font-size: small;">before putting through the grinder, </span><span style="font-size: small;">cube this. It will probably come frozen from the butcher, let it sit out, but keep it somewhat frozen or it won't hold it's shape in the grinding process</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.5 lbs skinless chicken thighs : before grinding, cube this (and if you're making chicken only sausage (no back fat), keep the thigh skin on, and as much fat as possible on the meat)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You also need medium hog casings, and if you don't know what these are, you might not want to, but I'm going to tell you anyway ... hog casings are pig intestines, and these stretchy, strong, thin wonders are the traditional way to make sausage links, and they look like this:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SxvFDXMSDY4ybrH6Tz0bDgVJK1agzScTXENvTACTxtISYW406Xa0VM9eiLpiEJ2dY-J4D6SbxdXtSE5-O4kkt_-Wf1bQpwSKxjP9O15oOekxlsfn0zPJcoClpfYwEetjEyxTa0dPVB8/s1600-h/IMG_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SxvFDXMSDY4ybrH6Tz0bDgVJK1agzScTXENvTACTxtISYW406Xa0VM9eiLpiEJ2dY-J4D6SbxdXtSE5-O4kkt_-Wf1bQpwSKxjP9O15oOekxlsfn0zPJcoClpfYwEetjEyxTa0dPVB8/s200/IMG_0901.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I won't lie, the stomach does turn just a slight bit when you give them a rinse (these are prepared and salted by butchers, you rinse out the salt before use), and there is a bit of shock when you realize how slimy and difficult to maneuver they are, but once all that's out of the way, it's really not an issue. Some recipes also instruct that you soak them for 30 minutes or longer in lukewarm water before rinsing, which I'm pretty sure we did. This makes sense, as they become more pliable this way, and less likely to tear. Alex got ours at <a href="http://www.zupans.com/">Zupans</a>, a little market in this town with a nice meat counter. Apparently the counter guy was surprised at such a request. I guess at home sausage-making is not yet all the rage amongst Portland foodies. Fun fact: Did you know that breakfast sausages are traditionally encased in lamb casings, because their intestines are smaller? Neither did I, neither did I. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So meat is out of the way, but you will need lots of other things, most importantly, spices. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIHU3wv4HSO4-8v7Vf6m23l5d2qQVnvW2E9KfMdklIPt44MBSaeMYU95kyQxODsEFKdI_5XjKKdE9ic8YJlvfrl03FqUVtIPwddtPENkLe8I2n6AkaaX6IEfro89Ow5RFNtWiZt9UC80/s1600/IMG_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIHU3wv4HSO4-8v7Vf6m23l5d2qQVnvW2E9KfMdklIPt44MBSaeMYU95kyQxODsEFKdI_5XjKKdE9ic8YJlvfrl03FqUVtIPwddtPENkLe8I2n6AkaaX6IEfro89Ow5RFNtWiZt9UC80/s200/IMG_0866.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bDmABgF2OAhb64oc1bvj1T3wkMnlqUhkGt7ThHH-LlJ6Xpdg9yVW0ALnGY1G_8j_BkB1qxanzn05SXXdqEvUUPvkS6BDqoa-YnKwtxaVEhGShasAzKRf8R54Wv4tk973hWB3x4t2FAI/s1600-h/IMG_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bDmABgF2OAhb64oc1bvj1T3wkMnlqUhkGt7ThHH-LlJ6Xpdg9yVW0ALnGY1G_8j_BkB1qxanzn05SXXdqEvUUPvkS6BDqoa-YnKwtxaVEhGShasAzKRf8R54Wv4tk973hWB3x4t2FAI/s200/IMG_0862.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYqjz-az_XvhpI9hl4tEIrbnaeMY4BDdj-ZpgUuPgK_5HWtJWx6FfVa0FqpwJgvLleNLoTXck50Q9Ra0h6ldTQ6-czO-Z7avf3MmQa-5V093iaSro2Hv5xrYkpR1H5oRnDYCKGYNGqIE/s1600-h/IMG_0859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYqjz-az_XvhpI9hl4tEIrbnaeMY4BDdj-ZpgUuPgK_5HWtJWx6FfVa0FqpwJgvLleNLoTXck50Q9Ra0h6ldTQ6-czO-Z7avf3MmQa-5V093iaSro2Hv5xrYkpR1H5oRnDYCKGYNGqIE/s200/IMG_0859.JPG" width="200" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-lots of fresh ground pepper (If you're going to bother making sausages from scratch, you should bother to hand grind the pepper. You will be glad you did, even if your wrist isn't).</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-lots of kosher salt</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> -lots of minced garlic (again, take the time to mince it yourself, that jarred stuff really isn't the same)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-lots of fresh basil, enough for four Tbs</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-two Tbs fennel seeds</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-oregano, fresh or dried (we used fresh.)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-a tiny bit of allspice 1/8 tsp - get this in bulk</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-one tsp of mace (mace!) - again, this is a bulk spices buy</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 tsp ground caraway seeds</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">1/2 tsp ground ginger (starting to wonder where some of these go?)</span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The rest of the ingredients are pretty much pantry staples:</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">sugar</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">milk (we used whole)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">dry red wine (we used Yellowtail Syrah, if memory serves)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c diced roma tomatoes (the recipe calls for fresh, but it is a travesty to use fresh romas in February, so we used canned, to great effect)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">sun dried tomatoes, reconstituted in water, or just buy the ones packed in oil so they're soft. (I used Trader Joe's oil packed sun dried tomatoes in a different recipe recently; they were tart, sweet, and wonderful, highly recommended)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">red wine vinegar, chilled (I really like Pompeian : I'm not a fan of generic store brands when it comes to these kind of vinegars, the flavor just isn't there) </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Sweet Italian Fennel Sausage</b> from <i>Bruce Aidell's Complete Sausage Book</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 lbs pork butt</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3/4 lb pork back fat</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c dry red wine</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 4 cloves garlic minced</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 Tbsp fennel seeds</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 tsp kosher salt (note! this sausage was VERY salty. I'd reduce by at least a teaspoon in the future)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp dried oregano (we used fresh, and used about 2 tsp fresh chopped oregano)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/8 tsp (really, a pinch) ground allspice</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I like to mix all the spices together in a small bowl, because it's just easier down the road when you are covered in raw sausage bits. Listen on the salt thing. The salt was intense - definitely better loose on the pizza than in sausage form. Measure your wine and have it ready. Put a bowl under your grinder. To prep the sausage, Alex cubed and combined the fat and the butt, then fed that through the grinder (there are two grinding plates - 3/8" and 1/8", use the one with larger holes) on a low medium speed (I think 3 or 4). </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After this, we added the spices and the wine, then mixed it by hand, and I don't mean with a spoon, I mean with our hands, or Alex's hands, anyway.</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stuffing the sausage: I am not going to explain this step in the next two recipes, since it's the same each time. Remove the food grinder from the mixer and attach the sausage stuffer piece to it, which entails removing the grinding plate and fitting the sausage stuffer onto the grinder. If you're challenged by the way things work, like how gears go together, for example, or removing a windshield wiper blade (as I, sadly, sadly, am), you should either read the directions or pawn this off on your partner in sausage making. So once that's together, put it back on the mixer. Your casings have been soaking, so give them a rinse (harder than it sounds), and push the entire casing onto the stuffer, which is a long hollow cylinder. Tie a knot at the tail end of the casing. Turn on the mixer and start feeding the sausage through the grinder again, it takes a minute to get the feel of the sausages going into the casing, but once you get it, the sausage link comes together pretty quickly. You want to have a plate to coil the sausage onto, because at this point it will just be one long sausage. Once you've finished pushing it into the casings, tie off the other ends of the sausage, then pinch a space in the link at about 4-5 inch intervals, twisting them around multiple times (again, pliable!), to create the links. There is a specific technique to this, which I never quite figured out, but it didn't really seem to matter too much. Once your links are all twisted, use kitchen shears to cut them apart. They're ready to be cooked, refrigerated, or frozen. See, easy! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQb9b9p5WCbOzl18Jwa8L7aImbU1h9k4kkZ2jYUu4cb10JPGKkDj54y1DCR49aEB3ivVoHR1j6mMPBBMuxp2a_qGd8OSoffebrcoDaU-z_f62oSCyc6pNs0MR13TUq6Q2PKsp-BM-d1V8/s1600-h/IMG_0956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQb9b9p5WCbOzl18Jwa8L7aImbU1h9k4kkZ2jYUu4cb10JPGKkDj54y1DCR49aEB3ivVoHR1j6mMPBBMuxp2a_qGd8OSoffebrcoDaU-z_f62oSCyc6pNs0MR13TUq6Q2PKsp-BM-d1V8/s200/IMG_0956.JPG" width="200" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> A note: What I found most interesting about this sausage is how dark it is, which I suppose is from the red wine, but it's an unusual color, different from what I have seen at the meat counter. Don't be alarmed. Onward!</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> Sheboygan Bratwurst</b> : I never liked brats, until I had these. Hello. Eat them with the <a href="http://trishesdishes.blogspot.com/2010/02/making-mustard-precursor-to-sausage.html">last post's</a> English pub mustard. You won't be sorry.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.5 lbs pork butt </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 lb veal shoulder (again, we used pre-ground veal, we don't know what cut it was from, but it was delicious)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 lb pork back fat </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 Tbsp kosher salt</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 tsp sugar </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp freshly ground black pepper </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp ground mace</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1 tsp ground caraway seeds </span><span style="font-size: small;">(I used a mortar and pestle to grind / crush my caraway seeds)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 1/2 tsp ground ginger</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c milk </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a slightly different prep than the Italian sausage. Mix the spices together in a small bowl. Cube the fat and butt, mix the spices with the cubed meat, <i>then</i> grind with the small grinder (1/8"). Obviously, if you have veal shoulder, you will need to grind that too, but we just ground the pork, then added in the ground veal. Then add the milk, and mix / knead with your hands until everything is combined. Repeat the above sausage stuffing. </span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes</b> (from <i>Charcuterie</i>) note: this was the most time consuming of all the sausages due to the fineness of the meat, it was very sticky and challenging to work with, be forewarned and take deep breaths when it comes to stuffing time.)</span><br />
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3.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.5 lbs pork back fat : if you don't want pork in your chicken sausage, you can leave this out, but if so, leave as much fat as possible on the chicken thighs. Maybe you even want to throw in some other chicken fat, I don't know, but 1.5 lbs is a lot of fat, just saying.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.5 oz kosher salt ... I definitely recommend weighing measures that call for ounces, you'll get a far more accurate measure than if you try to make a conversion to table/tea spoons via the Google machine or something</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp freshly ground black pepper </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.5 tsp minced garlic </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 Tbsp tightly packed chopped fresh basil </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c roma tomatoes, diced : canned worked for us, but if they were in season, I would have chosen fresh. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes, in oil or reconstituted in water, diced </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 c red wine vinegar, chilled</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 c extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled (we used syrah) </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I combined all the herbs and spices, including the garlic in a bowl. We tossed this with the cubed meat and fat, then poured the romas and sun dried tomatoes into the bowl and combined everything. Since we were doing all the sausages at the same time, we combined this, then put it back in the fridge, as we wanted to grind the two pork sausages before we did the chicken. If you're just making the chicken sausage, put a bowl (preferably your KitchenAid mixing bowl, you'll see why in a second) set in another bowl containing ice to keep the meat cold under the grinder. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwhWHFqDH-WYhmp_sGdxiGbIWcX_CquvSLafpU0HnUneInaPrpuS_Ayxrp5dXMKSOWxs_DoefUa9Hgv_KHQMZrVbos-748Lq2HOxPpWwq8y2xFxdhSJGJsyA61Cj5hlkucBjG2JY8m4Y/s1600-h/IMG_0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwhWHFqDH-WYhmp_sGdxiGbIWcX_CquvSLafpU0HnUneInaPrpuS_Ayxrp5dXMKSOWxs_DoefUa9Hgv_KHQMZrVbos-748Lq2HOxPpWwq8y2xFxdhSJGJsyA61Cj5hlkucBjG2JY8m4Y/s200/IMG_0917.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnElI8ubib009SLu2Ir947BT1nWDUtERDihfgn1KQuJhmS0scB4GJ5lyokC3c8zkmS11y3YmVeRH3JmTUWTRh5ujUtsEFAVlAghAdijYxVayhIuAff75H9GnzL3xftlwxSysZFPdAJAAs/s1600-h/IMG_0923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnElI8ubib009SLu2Ir947BT1nWDUtERDihfgn1KQuJhmS0scB4GJ5lyokC3c8zkmS11y3YmVeRH3JmTUWTRh5ujUtsEFAVlAghAdijYxVayhIuAff75H9GnzL3xftlwxSysZFPdAJAAs/s200/IMG_0923.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Remember again how important cleanliness and refrigeration is during this process. Keep your meats cold and your work area sprayed down with 409 or food safe what have you, because the meat and its potential bacteria will end up in many places, like on your cabinets, your floor, the nooks and crannies of your KitchenAid. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Use the small plate (1/8") to grind the chicken mixture. Here's where it starts to get more labor intensive. Put that KitchenAid bowl of meat under the mixer, with the paddle attachment attached. I can't remember if you have to remove the grinder at this point, but I don't think you do. So, mix the chicken on speed 1 (low) for about a minute then while it is still on, add the wet ingredients: the vinegar, wine and oil. Speed up the mixer to about a 4 (medium-ish), and mix about another minute, until it comes together and looks sticky. It will definitely be sticky.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> These recipes all mention that you should fry a little hunk of sausage to check flavors and adjust the seasoning if you need to, but we didn't do that, and this turned out lovely, so the recipe seems to work. But if you're an adjuster, this is the time to make the adjustments.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After you've finished this process, put the sausage in the fridge while you get the stuffer ready, which you already know how to do from the earlier instructions. Turn on the mixer and start feeding the sausage through into the casings. This is a two man process, no doubt, and the texture of the chicken sausage makes it exceedingly difficult to push through. Happily, this sausage is excellent loose as well, so if you don't want to stuff it, you don't have to! It made its way into biscuits and gravy and an excellent pasta dish in addition to being grilled for the Superbowl. It's really an excellent sausage. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLdDF6vq3zd4pJuQP2Kz2luPyzK9MRQ8LVcA6cRTPL6Ugq4kUJl3IOFA-_UrxsSVMq86W2kIgwd3hZXTorJ4Exqy-L978PwD-lDIulzoorrFSIp_nMOTUZvXfzfpi7jN4PfzTA0Qxj5I/s1600-h/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLdDF6vq3zd4pJuQP2Kz2luPyzK9MRQ8LVcA6cRTPL6Ugq4kUJl3IOFA-_UrxsSVMq86W2kIgwd3hZXTorJ4Exqy-L978PwD-lDIulzoorrFSIp_nMOTUZvXfzfpi7jN4PfzTA0Qxj5I/s200/IMG_0927.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">WHEW! Lengthy. Congrats if you've actually read this far. So anyway, that's sausage, or at least, our pretty successful attempt at three homemade sausages. Surely there will be more, after all, Spring and Summer are almost upon us. I'm curious to know how it goes for you, and if you can find actual veal shoulder in your part of the world. </span><br />
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</span></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-15353685803061025372010-02-15T01:15:00.000-08:002010-02-15T01:34:06.749-08:00Making Mustard (a precursor to sausage)<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TVysius5O67jeBmthtMA-IokMXxS-GqEK6oCG94H-vnbXGFDV2Ryorbi9qXaQnbG-45ImNeG-P7wkOfuPXaCLjrH7FHztGokW4sZsaQEctWHwnk6QHK_-XN9qfF3VpDd4vSg26px_i8/s1600-h/IMG_0788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TVysius5O67jeBmthtMA-IokMXxS-GqEK6oCG94H-vnbXGFDV2Ryorbi9qXaQnbG-45ImNeG-P7wkOfuPXaCLjrH7FHztGokW4sZsaQEctWHwnk6QHK_-XN9qfF3VpDd4vSg26px_i8/s320/IMG_0788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">A few weeks ago I made mustard. Not one mustard, or two, but five, because that's the kind of commitment I have to new things. You'll see this come up again in the next post on sausages, but that was more of a team effort. This effort was going to be a team effort, but was hindered in team-ness by the slow cooling of a certain Black IPA, very recently bottled, and hopefully consumable in a couple weeks. But this isn't a post about beer, no. It's a post about making mustard. Yes.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Condiment recipe books are surprisingly difficult to find, somewhat surprisingly to me. However, I was able to locate a small book on gourmet mustard at Powell's: <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=wLRhPQAACAAJ&dq=gourmet+mustards+the+how+tos&ei=m_F4S-fKNoy6lASi-5naBA&cd=1">Gourmet Mustards: the how-tos of making & cooking with mustard</a></i>, which proved to be quite edifying on how to make mustard and was filled with numerous recipes, some of which follow. Ruhlman and Polcyn's much celebrated (by me, among others) book: <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=kQyGQAAACAAJ&dq=charcuterie&ei=p_F4S93LB4OMlASP0qG0BA&cd=4">Charcuterie: the craft of salting, smoking, and curing</a></i> also has a small (and compellingly different from the other title, recipe-wise) section on condiments to top their many meats. Their chicken basil tomato sausage will be featured in the next post, but if I may briefly digress, it featured heavily in this weekend's foods, making its way into a delicious cream pasta last night and a fabulous sausage gravy this a.m. Versatile! But, moving to the meat of the post, let's talk mustards.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Here are the five mustards I made: Caraway Beer Mustard; Dijon Mustard, Honey Dijon Mustard, English Pub Mustard (fantastic with age); Bavarian Brown Mustard.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">The first thing, if you're going to endeavor to make mustard is this: buy a LOT of ground mustard. Make friends with the people at the spice shop, because if you're making five mustards, you're going to be purchasing about fifteen dollars worth of dry mustard. If you're in Portland, I recommend<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/limbo-inc-portland"> Limbo</a>, which is probably the most well-stocked spice / herb shop I have ever been in. Aside from it being a little organic grocer, there is this wall of jarred spices and herbs that will astound you. It's awesome. So yes, buy yourself some dry mustard.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Learn from me: if you plan to make mustard today, don't plan to eat it for at least a week or two. Immediate mustard eating, particularly mustard that isn't cooked, will clear your sinuses. Perhaps that's what you are looking for in a mustard, and if so, have at it. Mustards that are tangy but won't make you cry right after making are cooked. I learned during this whole process that refrigerating mustard retards its mellowing, which is why mustard should age in a dark, cool place for a while before eating. It really does mellow it. Two weeks in, two of my mustards had considerably less bite and more complex flavor. I think at least of them will continue to mellow and improve.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Okay, ingredients: I'm going to list everything you will need for five different mustards, all of which I made. These recipes make between a cup and two cups each, so if you're storing it, you'll probably want some clean jars.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPrv9rkofzSQWacBsk0J2740TwIrcAKnO3S9kCip4wGgFboESgnqS3EnJug2dMH5yQKA02uNBd6kmX5xK-NY-16rKi2_zu2dKH8JkKfAuMSU8i64zqDCcTmqo4-s_zZyXeTMNYvvwMSg/s1600-h/IMG_0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPrv9rkofzSQWacBsk0J2740TwIrcAKnO3S9kCip4wGgFboESgnqS3EnJug2dMH5yQKA02uNBd6kmX5xK-NY-16rKi2_zu2dKH8JkKfAuMSU8i64zqDCcTmqo4-s_zZyXeTMNYvvwMSg/s200/IMG_0720.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1tejhx6SgJvjCy5_Pw9Sctz5SQZpU97vn2W5H_jzJ4U5-hCFefvA9o7fTOrsrArnRjKImXsWsbGVoTFkYKOhfYNozQ4xMflbCv54LdWoCGz8NZd1TATuCcRMqsDoKojOK8abs5Mt2sU/s1600-h/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1tejhx6SgJvjCy5_Pw9Sctz5SQZpU97vn2W5H_jzJ4U5-hCFefvA9o7fTOrsrArnRjKImXsWsbGVoTFkYKOhfYNozQ4xMflbCv54LdWoCGz8NZd1TATuCcRMqsDoKojOK8abs5Mt2sU/s200/IMG_0749.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tjPgL9hJHsyDXzra-ebqhumnxvXMnacYQ-8CIur1IS53e1KtGrSkCpqpjCCXyxWag5k0x_q-4qaMkFLWj4dPR96LvU9zha6Pn1oFJJG2Xc67oJCDtp9RVYR8olXjMIJWmnHf31XU_gw/s1600-h/IMG_0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tjPgL9hJHsyDXzra-ebqhumnxvXMnacYQ-8CIur1IS53e1KtGrSkCpqpjCCXyxWag5k0x_q-4qaMkFLWj4dPR96LvU9zha6Pn1oFJJG2Xc67oJCDtp9RVYR8olXjMIJWmnHf31XU_gw/s200/IMG_0733.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">General ingredients in quantity:</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><ul style="background-color: white;"><li>Dry Mustard: A lot. Like 5 cups. </li>
<li>Beer / a 12 ounce bottle will do. Stir it down so it's flat. I think we picked an amber ale for this. My thought is that the more flavor the better. </li>
<li>A bottle of dry white wine, I used a chardonnay I think, but I can't actually remember. </li>
<li>A bottle of Sherry. Really, don't buy cooking sherry, unless you want your mustard to taste similar to a salt lick.</li>
<li>A jar of honey. Be fancy like me and use the local stuff. Heck, buy it at Limbo.</li>
<li>Three Eggs</li>
<li>Brown and white sugar</li>
<li>Kosher salt</li>
<li>A couple large onions</li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white;">Spices and other pantry items:</div><ul style="background-color: white;"><li>Worcestershire (could this be more challenging to type?) sauce </li>
<li>A tablespoon or slightly more of Caraway seeds </li>
<li>Malt vinegar</li>
<li>Vegetable oil or canola, which is what I always seem to use</li>
<li>Garlic cloves</li>
<li>A very small amount of turmeric / less than a teaspoon</li>
<li>a half cup of whole brown mustard seeds, also available at Limbo, or likely in bulk at any grocer.</li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">If I can just take a moment: you will save extraordinary amounts of money by buying your spices in bulk. I'd much rather buy a tablespoon of turmeric for .30 than a jar, which would take me a lifetime to use, for $5.99 ... just saying.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">You will also need cooking pots, a food processor, a mortar and pestle or rolling pin for crushing seeds, many, many small and medium sized bowls for various ingredients and mixtures, and of course the jars. And spoons. And whisks. And measuring cups and measuring spoons. I think that's about it.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Mustards:</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Caraway Beer Mustard: from the Charcuterie book</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">2 Tbsp dry mustard</div><div style="background-color: white;">6 Tbsp beer (I think it should be flat, as the other recipes I've seen call for this, and it prevents the frothing of the mustard)</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 Tbsp caraway seeds (these should be toasted and crushed - you can toast them in a pan over medium heat: you will know they are done when they release that delicious rye bread smell - then you can use the mortar and pestle to crush them or the rolling pin, or what have you)</div><div style="background-color: white;">3 oz malt vinegar (I used Heinz)</div><div style="background-color: white;">2 Tbsp of that local honey</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/2 tsp kosher salt (really, use kosher, table salt is just NOT the same)</div><div style="background-color: white;">3 large egg yolks</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/2 tsp white sugar</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
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Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl. If you're not familiar with how ingredients should come together, I suggest whisking the dry mustard, worcestershire, malt vinegar together, then whisking in the yolks, then the honey, then beer, then the salt and sugar. Put this bowl over a pot of simmering water (you're making a double boiler ... or just use a double boiler), and whisk this mixture until it's thickened, which will take a while. Be patient, because you don't want the heat so high that you are cooking the egg yolks. Try not to froth the mustard, but I think the flatter your beer is, the less of a problem this will be. When it's thick, remove it from the heat, cover it, and refrigerate. It's delicious immediately.</div><div style="background-color: white;"></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCiKHwK7724ce0MpjJbljazaPQIJN2DK9B7VkXTQqy9KQ4qSsGemvBCUrnF80v5hV1REr9SPahvBgag1ANBX0T5o3CxF3DWMC8M-T3x1Rh6dtbTMawxl6hfebZitP4BOAvAb6qB_BHgk/s1600-h/IMG_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCiKHwK7724ce0MpjJbljazaPQIJN2DK9B7VkXTQqy9KQ4qSsGemvBCUrnF80v5hV1REr9SPahvBgag1ANBX0T5o3CxF3DWMC8M-T3x1Rh6dtbTMawxl6hfebZitP4BOAvAb6qB_BHgk/s320/IMG_0797.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
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</div><div style="background-color: white;">Next up: the dijons</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">So the cool thing here is that dijon mustard is the base of many other mustards, but I'm just going to talk about it and honey dijon. If you're really interested in making more mustards (and who isn't?), you can buy / check out from the library the Gourmet Mustards book.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Dijon Mustard</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">2 c white wine</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 large onion / chopped</div><div style="background-color: white;">3 cloves of garlic / crushed (I used elephant garlic, because it was on-hand. The garlic flavor was very mellow. For more intense flavor, I think I'd actually use regular garlic)</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 c dry mustard</div><div style="background-color: white;">3 Tbsp local honey</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 Tbsp vegetable oil (again, I use canola. Pretty much in all things)</div><div style="background-color: white;">2 tsp salt (I always go with kosher)</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">This mustard is a bit more of a labor intensive process than the first, and I think it helps to have a friend on hand for assistance. My friend Caitlin helped me out immensely during the dijon creation.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-PYchCA3Y4FnqDjEn1YHglRSKrraTUslB583DFcLd393SCGlK-w5GIsA_v9CtHYbUDTtZdxaJiLq55_7OFC3SHEJjpORgUajXJ9CrKXIXsPFQWFfEQ2_Fd4mqOmmaVXOikI2H9q05Mw/s1600-h/IMG_0742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-PYchCA3Y4FnqDjEn1YHglRSKrraTUslB583DFcLd393SCGlK-w5GIsA_v9CtHYbUDTtZdxaJiLq55_7OFC3SHEJjpORgUajXJ9CrKXIXsPFQWFfEQ2_Fd4mqOmmaVXOikI2H9q05Mw/s200/IMG_0742.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiHjr11Lu7K_LaJalUNIGAibRve0h55FV9w6IjEd6AER3tTpKuNxdyT0cfDoHBpijR4Ty3Hti3WE7DadD56vH4obNzuZx9EdBjR77SV1TUFzuR4Fxos-2Ek-VQGflQqphGF58HRis-68/s1600-h/IMG_0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiHjr11Lu7K_LaJalUNIGAibRve0h55FV9w6IjEd6AER3tTpKuNxdyT0cfDoHBpijR4Ty3Hti3WE7DadD56vH4obNzuZx9EdBjR77SV1TUFzuR4Fxos-2Ek-VQGflQqphGF58HRis-68/s200/IMG_0776.JPG" width="165" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Heat the wine, onion and garlic in a pot: let it boil, then reduce to let it simmer for about five minutes. I probably let it go six or seven and all was well. I don't think anything is too terribly exact in mustard making, but maybe I'm speaking out of turn. So, after you take this off the heat, you want to strain it. Because I did not (rather insensibly) have a very small-holed strainer at my disposal, I used paper towels in a pasta strainer, and squeezed all the liquid through that way. It worked for me, though probably could have been easier. Cheesecloth may have been a good idea. So return this wine /garlic / onion liquid to the pan, then whisk in the dry mustard until it's smooth, then whisk in the rest of the ingredients. Put this back on the burner and heat over low medium heat, while whisking, until it's thickened. This takes a while. Have patience. After you remove it from the heat, let it cool, then jar and refrigerate it. Yum.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Honey Dijon Mustard (sweet and mild)</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Make another batch of the mustard above and then add in third cup of honey. The recipe actually calls for a 1/4 cup, but I think it needs a little more than that. Whisk together and refrigerate in a jar. This is awesome on pretzels. Particularly Fred Meyer's honey wheat pretzels, if you really want to know.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxcWuH61P800SExj9jTBJ_Xhyphenhyphen-QaQQch-Dfrx8p_jQgwN71HM6o0H0hKQm7nIivq5OMrFeSVtdoNEbjUDFae_yZdTgWn1fn-ixTwOrRJeoz61fF2qBtVEMvyxAy6SnbjxN02z0s0DhbQ/s1600-h/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxcWuH61P800SExj9jTBJ_Xhyphenhyphen-QaQQch-Dfrx8p_jQgwN71HM6o0H0hKQm7nIivq5OMrFeSVtdoNEbjUDFae_yZdTgWn1fn-ixTwOrRJeoz61fF2qBtVEMvyxAy6SnbjxN02z0s0DhbQ/s320/IMG_0795.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Now for the mustards that improve with age, these can (and were) eaten directly after making, but forewarning: they caused tears among some of the men. I learned while reading about mustard that dry mustard's oil (heat) is released by mixing it with liquid, so when it has just been combined with a wet ingredient, it is at its hottest. Both of these mustards were also served two weeks after creation with homemade sausages, and the English mustard was perfect, but the brown mustard still had bite. The recipe notes that the brown can age up to two months, if you're really planning ahead, like making your Christmas present mustards in October, or your Hanukkah mustards, or other holiday mustards.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">English Pub Mustard</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">This is easy to make, cook-free and food processor blended. You store it in the dark for two weeks then refrigerate it for the duration.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-d5wPNvozL7bGIktXaHZsWwWXOSu_A1daaB2P4IEObqWZ8f2SfkeqQZdVgT28WchnLwjAZtDNPL_2RG5rqLOVtz87RogQf4oqOkG8GO1EcqJ2HJweGJT0yd7aYtJXKf66o7JmbVvPQVA/s1600-h/IMG_0723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-d5wPNvozL7bGIktXaHZsWwWXOSu_A1daaB2P4IEObqWZ8f2SfkeqQZdVgT28WchnLwjAZtDNPL_2RG5rqLOVtz87RogQf4oqOkG8GO1EcqJ2HJweGJT0yd7aYtJXKf66o7JmbVvPQVA/s200/IMG_0723.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 c dry mustard (you thought I was kidding when I said buy $15 worth of mustard, but no, no I wasn't)</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/2 c packed brown sugar</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 tsp salt (kosher)</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/4 tsp turmeric (a little turmeric goes a long way : see <a href="http://trishesdishes.blogspot.com/2010/01/chicken-and-dumplings-may-just-be.html">chicken and dumplings</a>, in this recipe I think it's mostly for a rich yellow coloring)</div><div style="background-color: white;">3/4 c flat beer</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Blend the dry ingredients in a food processor, keep the machine on and add the beer slowly through the tube, and let the mixture come together. If you need to, stop the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl, then pulse a few more times to combine. Put it in a jar in the dark. Two weeks, then refrigerate. I'm pretty sure mine is not currently refrigerated, at three weeks, but I'm not sure of the quality retention. I can check it out and update this post at a later date.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_ALBuMD1qiiG5kblo6Q_t49sWeHTtikSBFGMKfsijz-OTgfZrFYN3IW9kxqODXIBOV3480zUJookUntAcmHIm22bD2uYOih7qulpcESMQqMv5kjK1GpeVLahfJI4qtHkTkFRmhBz3T0/s1600-h/IMG_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_ALBuMD1qiiG5kblo6Q_t49sWeHTtikSBFGMKfsijz-OTgfZrFYN3IW9kxqODXIBOV3480zUJookUntAcmHIm22bD2uYOih7qulpcESMQqMv5kjK1GpeVLahfJI4qtHkTkFRmhBz3T0/s320/IMG_0789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Bavarian Brown Mustard :: plan ahead, soaking is required</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/2 c whole brown mustard seed (there are various kinds of mustard seed, so pay attention to what you're buying)</div><div style="background-color: white;">3/4 c dry sherry</div><div style="background-color: white;">1 c dry mustard</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/4 c packed brown sugar</div><div style="background-color: white;">1/4 tsp salt (kosher ... is there an echo in here?)</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">Let the mustard seed soak in the sherry for at least two hours. I let it sit about 2 and a half hours. Rinse out your food processor bowl from the last mustard, then combine the sherry / seed mixture until it is almost smooth, but it should be grainy (think of any grainy mustard you see at the grocery, you're going for that look). Add the rest of the ingredients into the processor and pulse until well-blended. Put this in a jar and age two to eight weeks. This mustard does not need refrigeration, but should be stored in a cool place. I'd say after aging it, you might as well throw it in the fridge, as its shelf life will be far extended. And who doesn't want to extend deliciousness?</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdw5Q9L1p0D5saG2eXVRBI9Cw2yDIrwJfB5RfcCXiNvujSBVBiF-IHWcFal2-D2c558GPTSdQUrYr5k7DYvXghRnzqVca8IHScQCUoht-AvetWyqt7uPOs_CAhlc2NlmD_s6iROT_21mU/s1600-h/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdw5Q9L1p0D5saG2eXVRBI9Cw2yDIrwJfB5RfcCXiNvujSBVBiF-IHWcFal2-D2c558GPTSdQUrYr5k7DYvXghRnzqVca8IHScQCUoht-AvetWyqt7uPOs_CAhlc2NlmD_s6iROT_21mU/s320/IMG_0815.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white;">As you can see, it's pretty easy to make mustard. Five mustards were about a four hour endeavor, not so bad. These mustards were used in the dressing of homemade sausages, two weeks after their creation. That post follows .... soon.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
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</div><div style="background-color: white;">-T</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTtmVsvs7hGRFO1zOHrH4ttWhHpyOuQuDlPf96ky6Eio6vC0u1GwnC_ERVf_h8AxWQeatgLJFrAGo1K8joVrG7sJgRGvogfNBgGF6gWcDgdvPLHSp6gjk9Ydwh8E3je_3upMo8aceVO4/s1600-h/IMG_0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTtmVsvs7hGRFO1zOHrH4ttWhHpyOuQuDlPf96ky6Eio6vC0u1GwnC_ERVf_h8AxWQeatgLJFrAGo1K8joVrG7sJgRGvogfNBgGF6gWcDgdvPLHSp6gjk9Ydwh8E3je_3upMo8aceVO4/s320/IMG_0819.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824495343680959214.post-5517102200906407232010-01-18T22:21:00.000-08:002010-01-19T09:43:54.340-08:00It's cake! And vegetables!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIELRBiew7kbezCKXXd76gap0aqbv8Ikn78vm20dQZGKeFCdRs5s8n1FtAkjftGNoBUUFTtp7CA27A_GH-hmjgsUt4UC9oDtTvirEdrpd9yliy7OVls9bX8ATlNYr15dp4k4N8XtFebA/s1600-h/DSCN6958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIELRBiew7kbezCKXXd76gap0aqbv8Ikn78vm20dQZGKeFCdRs5s8n1FtAkjftGNoBUUFTtp7CA27A_GH-hmjgsUt4UC9oDtTvirEdrpd9yliy7OVls9bX8ATlNYr15dp4k4N8XtFebA/s320/DSCN6958.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Oh carrot cake, how do I love thee? You nourish me with vitamin A while satisfying my sweet tooth; what could be better? I have had a taste for carrot cake for a long, long time, but the idea of shredding all those carrots by hand quickly deadened any desire to bake. If you have ever hand-grated large amounts of zucchini, potatoes, or other shreddable vegetable by hand, you surely understand. But with my awesome new food processor, the sky's the limit as far as shredding goes. And in this case, the sky is carrot cake. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I made dinner tonight for the boyfriend, and because of the holiday, had the entire day free, so I felt a cake was in order. I was trolling the web for recipes, and suddenly carrot cake came to mind. I believe my actual search was awesome carrot cake recipe. No, it wasn't actually, but that's what I got. The Google machine led me to the fabulous Alton Brown, and <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/carrot-cake-recipe/index.html">his exceedingly well-reviewed carrot cake recipe</a>. What makes this recipe so terrific is that it is unencumbered by things like walnuts or raisins, just pure carrot-y, spice-y goodness. I was sold. So off to Fred Meyer I went to gather some carrots, and then I baked:<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Carrot Cake, recipe adapted from Alton Brown<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You'll need a few fancy kitchen things to make your life easier. These include: a food processor (or a strong, slow-to-tire (wo)man to hand shred all your carrots), a microplaner (one of the best kitchen tools I have ever acquired), a digital scale (an analog scale will do, but digital scales are accurate to an 1/8 of an ounce), lots of small containers for measuring all your ingredients on said scale, and I think that's it. Plus 8 inch rounds, if you want to make the cake like I did. Alton's recipe calls for a different pan, and a few different measurements / ingredients, so if you want to try his to the tee, check out the link above.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is what you need:<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Carrots - 12 ounces, shredded. I used four large ones. Hello food processor and digital scale.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Other dry ingredients:<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 tsp baking soda<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1tsp baking powder<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12 oz all-purpose flour (fluff it up with a whisk before you measure)<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1/2 tsp salt. I used cyprus flake salt on a whim, which was fabulous in the final product. You end up tasting these occasional salt pockets, which really works with the sweetness of the final iced cake. If you use a flake salt, you might want to crush it a bit smaller before adding it. Maybe try sel gris, or whatever other random salt you have lying around that is good for baking.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Spices: cinnamon, allspice, and freshly grated nutmeg. About a half teaspoon of each, though I think you could heap the cinammon. I used heaping 1/4 teaspoons of these spices, and I think the cake could handle more cinammon, though probably not too much more nutmeg and allspice - the former comes through brightly in the finished product.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Get an actual nutmeg, it will be worth your while. Freshly grated nutmeg tastes very different from ground nutmeg.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pUZrepMIEPnCxsV0aPyCzdZFipw8fYZmnE16BGSk1CYB9lNAgFZQfWnxRR4ASVYxAZF2DhDK15B4L5_GbbzW4mxrLpwAop9b8n8AD57Q3YrusdQ5FTmjZ1nXqTxJKDwUfxEOoufzoKY/s1600-h/DSCN6926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pUZrepMIEPnCxsV0aPyCzdZFipw8fYZmnE16BGSk1CYB9lNAgFZQfWnxRR4ASVYxAZF2DhDK15B4L5_GbbzW4mxrLpwAop9b8n8AD57Q3YrusdQ5FTmjZ1nXqTxJKDwUfxEOoufzoKY/s200/DSCN6926.JPG" /></a>A nutmeg is kind of weird looking, check out the photo. Apparently the nutmeg tree produces both nutmeg and mace! The nutmeg is actually the seed inside the fruit of the tree.I'm not really sure where <a href="http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/nutmeg.html">the Spice Encyclopedia</a> got this since it isn't cited, but apparently, way back in the historical day, it was thought that sticking a nutmeg in your armpit before heading out for a night on the town would bring the (wo)men a running. Single gals and guys, it's something to consider.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wet ingredients:<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10 oz white sugar<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2 oz dark brown sugar<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3 large eggs<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6 oz canola oil<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6 oz plain (no sugar!) non-fat yogurt. The original recipe calls for full fat yogurt, but I really think this helped the cake come out lighter than some carrot cakes. I will always use it in the future.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Prep your pans by spraying them with Pam for baking, or buttering and flouring them, then putting parchment paper on the bottoms of the pans. To measure this out, just use a pencil to trace the outside of the pan, cut out the circle, and put the circle, pencil side down, in the pan. This makes for beautiful cake bottoms. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8Aro6h4AeDw3FBtvAaIptOvk7gEA9ltYXWzxw9jrdf7OhgPAqD_hUFNij6R8VGCVDXGvcIqRlQBQhHqhBmbWWu7Po86pjiPqK1SShfQg6cmdQGc4HT4zetLomD9NWkgzUuqeG5I_EzQ/s1600-h/DSCN6901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8Aro6h4AeDw3FBtvAaIptOvk7gEA9ltYXWzxw9jrdf7OhgPAqD_hUFNij6R8VGCVDXGvcIqRlQBQhHqhBmbWWu7Po86pjiPqK1SShfQg6cmdQGc4HT4zetLomD9NWkgzUuqeG5I_EzQ/s200/DSCN6901.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmFUO8TD0wFrmtYhIngHBDROl6IiBMl2JgsjksjKl7SqkhOaLhXMr5vgD4xsf46_7n0c92NvV0f7QTZ6pcT4dYjjQnKSFKZ8gjkINjlq2leoBZDt9tlIp98itAB26gjQBbUOk_xCvCaU/s1600-h/DSCN6918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmFUO8TD0wFrmtYhIngHBDROl6IiBMl2JgsjksjKl7SqkhOaLhXMr5vgD4xsf46_7n0c92NvV0f7QTZ6pcT4dYjjQnKSFKZ8gjkINjlq2leoBZDt9tlIp98itAB26gjQBbUOk_xCvCaU/s200/DSCN6918.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhSFcIvXmq_7S9A2OEM8mCTzgi5r0ySbKn2QWmu4XCS6kZXEWtsu_du5ZBCissB-SSTkzJ8uiX1EyriTM6frdD6byvkTCBCk0eo_SYMdUPyl60lsc9HU90IZ5XomNraCxRUeaz9X5Pjk/s1600-h/DSCN6904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhSFcIvXmq_7S9A2OEM8mCTzgi5r0ySbKn2QWmu4XCS6kZXEWtsu_du5ZBCissB-SSTkzJ8uiX1EyriTM6frdD6byvkTCBCk0eo_SYMdUPyl60lsc9HU90IZ5XomNraCxRUeaz9X5Pjk/s200/DSCN6904.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Before you get started, I suggest measuring everything out, as it makes things much easier down the road.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As you can now see, that's why you need all those small containers. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After you have measured all of your ingredients, combine the spices, baking soda, baking powder, and flour in a large bowl. Whisk these together.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Add the shredded carrots to the bowl, and toss to combine them with the flour mixture. I just do this with my (clean) hands, as I think coating the carrots is easier that way.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Is your oven pre-heated yet? Turn it on about now, to 350 degrees.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And after you do that, switch the shredder blade to the regular blade in your food processor. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the food processor bowl, add the eggs, the yogurt, and the white and brown sugar. Turn on the food processor to combine these ingredients, then pour the oil in a slow stream into the bowl while keeping the processor running. I think the faster you work the better, so you don't over process the batter.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbX9l07vDvovxXtJCS95QoCnftwnXf7IEGjM2E6f7RFFxhN6OBFoXelmTXngrx2btz6V42ave4g4ppTZgGOisZqmspOHyKtwgUy7stYCmsWR8BTDaUMCYwfSyMWWDkK3pcsp6I0H0BK60/s1600-h/DSCN6923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbX9l07vDvovxXtJCS95QoCnftwnXf7IEGjM2E6f7RFFxhN6OBFoXelmTXngrx2btz6V42ave4g4ppTZgGOisZqmspOHyKtwgUy7stYCmsWR8BTDaUMCYwfSyMWWDkK3pcsp6I0H0BK60/s320/DSCN6923.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Remove the bowl from the food processor, and add the wet ingredients to the carrot / flour bowl.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Divide amongst your two pans and put in the oven on the same shelf to bake for 35 minutes at 350.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rNOCjdAqw_bA-PJpZx9EBDErN8OFS8eJkb9JEyUIPhiOiAXcpR4BjdAHCxYij-ClEfQ6Pdmbun-YDxXooy7NBLXzJaZDBvKq_4QfP-VKy1jeGAiW3WuOnJT_wqtPH00W4sQ2Fep6rKE/s1600-h/DSCN6925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rNOCjdAqw_bA-PJpZx9EBDErN8OFS8eJkb9JEyUIPhiOiAXcpR4BjdAHCxYij-ClEfQ6Pdmbun-YDxXooy7NBLXzJaZDBvKq_4QfP-VKy1jeGAiW3WuOnJT_wqtPH00W4sQ2Fep6rKE/s200/DSCN6925.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Turn down the oven after 35 minutes and cook for another 20 minutes at 325. This is a fairly big modification from the original recipe, based on my wonky oven, and using two 8 inch pans instead of one thick pan. Try it out in your own, but it worked perfectly for me. The cake is done when the cake tester comes out clean. If you put a toothpick (or skewer, which is what I use) in the cake, you should be able to feel if the cake is solid in the middle. If it isn't, it isn't done. Don't worry about the nicely browned top, that's what you're looking for. When the cakes are done, take them out and place the pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely. You might take your boyfriend's dog for a walk, to kill time, and enjoy the day. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFmhLp2gw46vJcx2f618Zsfh_How27-TO3z4baPAOi6CFBr2Gnpnrt2TlCLYLewHaL2l4fR5BLh6FqtH469Cq5cv9Yn0x5IThW7Ia6C39MR7O7E9692KbIPSqyR_CZjf2yBgzvc45wYM/s1600-h/DSCN6940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFmhLp2gw46vJcx2f618Zsfh_How27-TO3z4baPAOi6CFBr2Gnpnrt2TlCLYLewHaL2l4fR5BLh6FqtH469Cq5cv9Yn0x5IThW7Ia6C39MR7O7E9692KbIPSqyR_CZjf2yBgzvc45wYM/s320/DSCN6940.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ah, cake. This is where you (and all of us, frankly) wish you (and by you, I mean we) had smellivision. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okay, next phase. Cream cheese icing. Holy goodness.<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For about three cups of icing:<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12 oz (one and a half rectangles) cream cheese. I think low fat is a poor choice here, don't be tempted by Neufchatel.<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3oz unsalted butter, softish but not melty : this is 6 Tbs<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">13.5 oz (really, just get the digital scale) powdered sugar, sifted. I just pour the powdered sugar into the sifter, then sift it into the measuring container on the scale.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beat the butter and cream cheese until combined and whipped up a bit, add the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar in batches, preferably on low speed if you have a better mixer than mine, which only has fast and super fast speeds. I just try not to inhale too much while incorporating the sugar.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq9PjSn2oTnIeaEJYn8AbIB0rW_ZBwCDqZ1fMjUu4ZZjcdTztVNUkow3hL-koyrIACN1JMXJyw6mJYocGFuvA7v_TCTQAQ1IyStpi9BSG8N3fgZKd-Q5V19LR6UYJvTV1svtbEt8wCf4/s1600-h/DSCN6943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq9PjSn2oTnIeaEJYn8AbIB0rW_ZBwCDqZ1fMjUu4ZZjcdTztVNUkow3hL-koyrIACN1JMXJyw6mJYocGFuvA7v_TCTQAQ1IyStpi9BSG8N3fgZKd-Q5V19LR6UYJvTV1svtbEt8wCf4/s320/DSCN6943.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next, icing time. Place a dollop of the icing on the center of the bottom cake. Ice to the sides, but not all the way to the edge, leave about a 1/2 inch or so, because when you add the top layer, it's going to smush the icing out a bit.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDlyT4jh6xpuWZ7YJ4f5xqKpctjzq6gXvuXu5iXiS7ph4ZKz_GNPmMGP3FC918Dzo3Ui2VZ3Um1uNZjBBo-w8e1sgNbhh4U2kWSvxNXmlHC5xm2ykkMRAPBRQTvMzI5eXPTrT8ipbHgQ/s1600-h/DSCN6945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDlyT4jh6xpuWZ7YJ4f5xqKpctjzq6gXvuXu5iXiS7ph4ZKz_GNPmMGP3FC918Dzo3Ui2VZ3Um1uNZjBBo-w8e1sgNbhh4U2kWSvxNXmlHC5xm2ykkMRAPBRQTvMzI5eXPTrT8ipbHgQ/s200/DSCN6945.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6Myq8IsOYGVk-AJta47dpyPPTCW55EfZdCtJIyhPF7v46A2fhQ-OvgQdZVdrS6wEs9aNYCwmSJBaHCGN3qMBQCX_pgT3k2jtj1OVa4yTiU0iyU6YRi5kW57plHPp7Aq4OhlB8fdwVwM/s1600-h/DSCN6946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6Myq8IsOYGVk-AJta47dpyPPTCW55EfZdCtJIyhPF7v46A2fhQ-OvgQdZVdrS6wEs9aNYCwmSJBaHCGN3qMBQCX_pgT3k2jtj1OVa4yTiU0iyU6YRi5kW57plHPp7Aq4OhlB8fdwVwM/s200/DSCN6946.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Add the top layer and ice the rest of the cake. You could do something fancy on top like pecans around the top edge of the cake, but I didn't. I just used the spatula to make little peaks, like you might do with meringue. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It turned out delicious. Let me know if you try it yourself. Add more spice, I want to know how that goes. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-T<br />
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</div>Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00821687444807884119noreply@blogger.com2